How the US bought the Virgin Islands from Denmark: A cautionary tale for Greenland

Traces of 250 years of Danish imperial rule are still visible on the islands of St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. John, and a scattering of tiny landmasses that today make up the Virgin Islands, which the United States purchased from Denmark at the beginning of the last century, USA Today reports.

Here, Danish names of towns and streets, such as Frederiksted, are preserved. Buildings are constructed of yellowish-red bricks brought by ship across the Atlantic. Stone Danish buildings still stand on plantations where enslaved Africans were forced to labor.

These islands showcase vibrant Caribbean culture: dancers in traditional costumes, drumming, and street festivals. At the same time, there are McDonald's restaurants and Home Depot stores—a reminder that this is U.S. territory.

On the subject: Trump said he had reached an agreement on Greenland's future.

As President Donald Trump negotiates with Denmark over Greenland's future, some Virgin Islanders say they feel as if history is repeating itself.

"History never repeats itself exactly the same way, but it manifests itself in a different form," said Stephanie Chalana Brown, an Afro-Caribbean historian originally from the Virgin Islands.

Her ancestors were among the first to be enslaved by the Danish colonial authorities, and she is now working to obtain reparations from Denmark. Stephanie's relatives were sold without their consent, first as slaves and then as residents of territory ceded from Denmark to the United States. A hundred years from now, Brown fears that Greenlanders will face a similar situation: they are not involved in decisions about the future of their land.

"I understand this because the same thing happened to my ancestors," Brown said. "I don't want this to happen to other people."

More than a century ago, President Woodrow Wilson purchased the Danish West Indies for $25 million after threatening to seize them by force. At the time, the United States was seeking to strengthen its influence in Latin America. Wilson explained that he wanted the islands for strategic reasons: to protect trade routes and prevent rivals from dominating the region. At the time, Germany was the United States' main rival.

After being purchased in 1917, the islands served for decades as a strategic Caribbean outpost for the American military. The naval air station closed in 1948, and the islands never became the important military installation they once were. The approximately 26,000 residents were denied the right to vote in 1917, even though Denmark held a referendum among its citizens on the mainland. Virginians received U.S. citizenship only ten years later, and the right to elect their own governor only in 1970. Today, citizens of the Virgin Islands, like residents of other U.S. territories, cannot vote in presidential elections and have no voting representative in Congress.

Virgin Islanders are closely following events surrounding Greenland. Felipe Ayala of the St. Thomas Historical Society said discussions about Greenland's fate are largely taking place behind closed doors.

In December, two US Navy aircraft carriers—the USS Gerald R. Ford and the USS Iwo Jima—docked in the Virgin Islands to support the fight against drug trafficking and, later, the operation to apprehend Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. This was the first major US Navy presence in the islands in decades. Some residents perceived the ships and the sailors as economic support, while others were alarmed.

Following US operations in Venezuela, Trump intensified talk of annexing Greenland and did not rule out the possibility of using force. On January 23, he stated that the US would gain "full access" to the island under the agreement, but acknowledged that formally acquiring Greenland might not be possible.

For Brown and other Virgin Islanders whose ancestors are linked to Danish colonialism, these discussions evoke both sympathy and concern for the fate of Greenland's 57,000 inhabitants.

"Does he invite them to the table to discuss policy?" Brown asked. "We haven't been given that opportunity in the Virgin Islands."

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Most Greenlanders are Inuit, an indigenous people also found in Alaska and Canada. Their language and traditions are very different from those of Denmark and the United States.

Brown fears that a stronger US military presence in Greenland could lead to an "Americanization" similar to what has happened in the Virgin Islands.

"You see how our children's identity is being lost under the influence of American culture," she concluded. "I hope this doesn't happen to them."

Read also on ForumDaily:

Trump will impose tariffs on EU countries if they do not support the transfer of Greenland to the US.

A bill has been introduced in Congress to make Greenland the 51st state of the United States.

Trump adviser says US 'has the right to take Greenland, and no one can stop them'

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