History of the USVI vs. BVI: A Tale of Two Colonizations
When people visit the Virgin Islands, they often focus on the national parks, beautiful beaches, and champagne sailing. But don’t forget about the rich history of both the BVI and the USVI!
Comparing the USVI vs. BVI goes beyond knowing the best dive sites or sailing routes. The islands of the USVI and BVI are close but the international boundary reflects centuries of different colonial histories and competing political powers.
The Virgin Islands do share an immense amount of Indigenous heritage and nautical history. However, the history of the US Virgin Islands and the history of the British Virgin Islands took very different paths from early European colonization to the present day.
Before the USVI and BVI
Centuries before European colonization, Indigenous communities lived and traveled throughout the Virgin Islands. When you sail from the USVI to the BVI, you’re crossing waters that Indigenous people traveled by canoe for transportation, fishing, and trade.
Danish Colonization of the US Virgin Islands
The islands that we now know as the US Virgin Islands were part of what was known as the Danish West Indies until the early 20th century.
Denmark established a colony on St. Thomas in the 1670s and later controlled St. John and St. Croix. During this time, sugar plantations were central to the colonial economy, with enslaved Africans making up much of the workforce.
After slavery was abolished on July 3, 1848, Denmark continued to control the islands for decades. It wasn’t until the United States purchased St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix in 1917 that the islands came under U.S. control.
When you sail from St. Thomas to St. John, you can still see reminders of that complex history. For example, when you take a dinghy from Leinster Bay to Annaberg Estate, you can walk the grounds of a historic sugar plantation that operated during Danish colonial rule, where enslaved Africans were forced to work.
British Colonization of the Virgin Islands
The history of the British Virgin Islands follows a different colonial path than the USVI. While the Dutch settled on Tortola in the 1600s, England took control of the island in 1672. British influence quickly spread across the region, shaping the governments, communities, and historic sites sailors encounter today.
As in the Danish West Indies, plantation agriculture was a main economic driver and depended on enslaved labor before slavery was abolished in 1834. Because this happened much earlier than in the Danish West Indies, the waterways between the USVI and BVI were used by enslaved people to reach freedom in the British Virgin Islands.
When you sail across the BVI, you’re sailing between the same islands where this long, complicated history unfolded, from Tortola to Jost Van Dyke to Virgin Gorda and beyond.
Learn More About the History of the USVI and BVI
Reading about the history of the US Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands before you set sail can make the trip much more meaningful. It gives context to names you may see on signs, places you’ll visit, and even the international boundary between the two sets of islands themselves.
When you take ASA sailing lessons with Go Sail VI, you can experience the Virgin Islands up close and learn more about the islands as you sail from one to the next. Learn more about the history of the US and British Virgin Islands when you sail with GSVI!