The Governor is appointed by the Queen on the advice of the British Government. Defence and most Foreign Affairs remain the responsibility of the United Kingdom. The most recent constitution was adopted in the Virgin Islands Constitution Order, and came into force when the Legislative Council was dissolved for the general election. The Head of Government under the constitution is the Premier prior to the new constitution the office was referred to as Chief Minister , who is elected in a general election along with the other members of the ruling government as well as the members of the opposition.
View more about the Government of the territory, on the Government of the Virgin Islands page. The "four pillars" of the economy are tourism, financial services, agriculture and fishing.
The islands and its residents fell on rough times in the late s due to the poor economy and numerous natural disasters. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John became the US Virgin Islands. While conditions improved, change came slowly and frustrations brewed.
Residents felt deceived when they were not granted American citizenship immediately following the transfer and disappointment also existed in that the islands were run by Naval administrators and appointed officials. The Military and the Interior Departments managed the territory until the passage of the Organic Act in The territory is under the jurisdiction of the president of the United States of America and residents are American citizens. This gift along with subsequent additions have increased the holdings.
Today almost two thirds of St. Historical and marine treasures on St. In Water Island, located in St. In the mid s the Virgin Islands saw the dawn of new times, more prosperous times. Tourist seeking the the warmth, beauty and relaxation the USVI offers, vacationed in the islands. Hotels, restaurants and shops began popping up on beachfront properties and in main towns.
With the rise in business and economy came a rise in the population as immigrants from neighboring islands flocked to the USVI to work. The islands entered the new millennium as one of the premiere destinations for tourist visiting the Caribbean. Planning your vacation to St. John and Water Island will be a lot easier with this great packet of magazines and booklets. This material covers where to stay, fun things to do, culture, local events, beach guides, how to get around, plants and animals, history, tips, things to see, art galleries, shopping and so much more.
Connect with travelers that are planning vacations right here, right now. Updated information dedicated to Moving and Living in the Virgin Islands.
Subsequent rebellions also occurred in , , and , although in each case they were quickly put down. Probably the most significant slave insurrection occurred in when a plot was uncovered to kill all of the white males in the Territory and to escape to Haiti which was at the time the only free black republic in the world by boat with all of the white females. Although the plot does not appear to have been especially well formulated, it caused widespread panic, and military assistance was drafted in from St.
A number of the plotters or accused plotters were executed. It is perhaps unsurprising that the incidence of slave revolts increased sharply after In , the trade in slaves was abolished. Although the existing slaves were forced to continue their servitude, the Royal Navy patrolled the Atlantic, capturing slave ships, and freeing slave cargoes.
Starting in , hundreds of freed Africans were deposited on Tortola by the Navy who, after serving a 14 year "apprenticeship", were then absolutely free. Naturally, seeing free Africans in the Territory created enormous resentment and jealousy amongst the existing slave population, who understandably felt this to be enormously unjust. The abolition of slavery occurred on 1 August , and to this day it is celebrated by a three day public holiday on the first Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in August in the British Virgin Islands.
The original emancipation proclamation hangs in the High Court. However, the abolition of slavery was not the single defining event that it is sometimes supposed to have been.
Emancipation freed a total of 5, slaves in the Territory, but at the time of abolition, there were already a considerable number of free blacks in the Territory, possibly as many as 2, Furthermore, the effect of abolition was gradual; the freed slaves were not absolutely manumitted, but instead entered a form of forced apprenticeship which lasted four years for house slaves and six years for field slaves. The terms of the forced apprenticeship required them to provide 45 hours unpaid labour a week to their former masters, and prohibited them from leaving their residence without the masters' permission.
The effect, deliberately, was to phase out reliance on slave labour rather than end it with a bang. The Council would later legislate to reduce this period to four years for all slaves to quell rising dissent amongst the field slaves. Joseph John Gurney, a Quaker, wrote in his Familiar Letters to Henry Clay of Kentucky that the plantation owners in Tortola were "decidedly saving money by the substitution of free labour on moderate wages, for the deadweight of slavery".
In practice, the economics of the abolition are difficult to quantify. Undeniably, the original slave owners suffered a huge capital loss. In terms of net cash flow, whilst the slave owners lost the right to "free" slave labour, they now no longer had to pay to house, clothe, and provide medical attention for their former slaves, which in some cases almost balanced out.
The former slaves now usually worked for the same masters, but instead received small wages, out of which they had to pay for the expenses formerly borne by their masters.
However, some former slaves managed to amass savings, which clearly demonstrates that in net terms the slave owners were less well off in income terms as well as capital as a result of abolition. In the Legislative Council was finally formally dissolved, and the islands were then officially administered through the Governor of the Leeward Islands, who appointed a commissioner and an executive council.
The Territory was not remotely economically prosperous, and social services had deteriorated to a vanishing point. Emigration was extremely high, particularly to St. Thomas and to the Dominican Republic. Both concern and assistance from Britain was in very short supply, not least because of the two World Wars which were fought during this period.
In another unlikely hero emerged. Theodolph H Faulkner was a fisherman from Anegada, who came to Tortola with his pregnant wife. He had a disagreement with the medical officer, and he went straight to the marketplace and for several nights criticised the government with mounting passion.
His oratory struck a chord, and a movement started. Led by community leaders such as Isaac Fonseca and Carlton de Castro, on 24 November a throng of over 1, British Virgin Islanders marched on the Commissioner's office and presented their grievances.
They presented a petition which commenced:. We have outgrown that undesirable stage where one official, or an official clique, makes decisions for us We are seeking the privilege of deciding how our monies are spent and what shall be our Presidential laws and policies. The Legislative Council building in Road Town, erected about sixty yards from the market where Faulkner roused the crowds. The voices of the people were heard.
As a result of the demonstrations the previous year, the Legislative Council was reinstituted by the British Government in under a new constitution.
The reformation of the Legislative Council is often left as a footnote in the Territory's history - a mere part of the process that led to the more fundamental constitutional government in But, having been denied any form of democratic control for nearly 50 years, the new Council did not sit idly by. Now, the USVI has executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government to make laws on the islands. People elect a representative who serves in the U. Today you can take a tour dedicated to Hamilton's life on the island.
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