IV 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 39 

Recognizing and commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Virgin Islands 

of the United States becoming a part of the United States. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 23, 2017 

Ms. PLASKETT submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the 

Committees on Foreign Affairs, and Oversight and Government Reform, 

for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 

for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 

committee concerned 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Recognizing and commemorating the 100th anniversary of 

the Virgin Islands of the United States becoming a part 

of the United States. 

Whereas, on March 31, 2017, the Virgin Islands of the 

United States will commemorate 100 years of being a 

part of the United States; 

Whereas the Virgin Islands of the United States will use this 

anniversary, in part, to commemorate its history, culture, 

and diversity; 

Whereas one of the earliest historical accounts of the Virgin 

Islands of the United States was in 1493, when Carib inhabitants on St. Croix engaged Christopher Columbus on 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

•HCON 39 IH 

his second voyage, in what is considered the first insurgence against European colonization in the New World; 

Whereas the three largest islands of the Virgin Islands of the 

United States were ruled by at least six sovereigns over 

the past 500 years; 

Whereas Denmark began its acquisition of the islands that 

were to become known as the Danish West Indies with 

the founding of its first permanent colony on the island 

of St. Thomas in 1665, to be followed by the island of 

St. John in 1717, and the island of St. Croix in 1733; 

Whereas, during a 250-year span of history, Denmark colonized those three islands as a part of the sugar trade, 

which included participation in the transatlantic slave 

trade and a plantation-based system that subjugated 

slaves; 

Whereas significant hardships were endured by enslaved Africans during the period of European colonial rule, which 

precipitated the 1733 revolution on St. John, the 1848 

insurrection and emancipation declaration signed by Danish Governor Peter von Scholten, the 1878 rebellion on 

St. Croix known as the ‘‘Fireburn’’, and the 1892 coal 

workers’ strike on St. Thomas; 

Whereas, by the spirit of resistance, enslaved African heroes 

like General Buddhoe, Anna Hegaard, the Queens Mary, 

Agnes, Matilda, ‘‘Bottom Belly’’, and Coziah, and other 

leaders were able to liberate themselves and emancipate 

the African people; 

Whereas an islandwide slave insurrection on St. Croix in July 

of 1848 resulted in the official abolition of slavery in the 

Danish West Indies; 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

•HCON 39 IH 

Whereas the decline of the sugar industry in the region led 

Denmark to seek a buyer for the Danish West Indies; 

Whereas the United States, seeking a strategic base to protect its assets in the Caribbean, including the newly built 

Panama Canal, purchased the Danish West Indies in 

1917 through the Convention Between the United States 

and Denmark for Cession of the Danish West Indies, 

which confirmed that the civil rights and political status 

of the inhabitants of the islands would be determined by 

Congress; 

Whereas the transfer of the Danish West Indies to the 

United States took place on March 31, 1917, with ceremonies on St. Thomas and St. Croix and is commemorated annually in the Virgin Islands of the United States 

as ‘‘Transfer Day’’; 

Whereas, after the transfer, the Virgin Islands of the United 

States was administered by the Navy, which led to an improved system of social services, higher paying jobs associated with military buildup, and, later, the development 

of the economy through increased agricultural production; 

Whereas, between 1924 and 1927, several proposed bills for 

constitutional reform were discussed by congressional 

committees on insular affairs, though action did not 

manifest until the enactment of the Organic Act of the 

Virgin Islands in 1936 and the Revised Organic Act of 

the Virgin Islands in 1954; 

Whereas the Organic Act of the Virgin Islands passed as a 

result of efforts by David Hamilton Jackson and Rothschild Francis, along with others, including Casper HolVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:35 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HC39.IH HC39

SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
4 

•HCON 39 IH 

stein and Ashley Totten, allowing for increased self-government for the Virgin Islands of the United States; 

Whereas the Revised Organic Act of the Virgin Islands promoted the growing political consciousness of Virgin Islanders, achieved greater economy and efficiency of government, and provided the legal basis for the political 

and administrative reorganization of the Virgin Islands of 

the United States; 

Whereas this was furthered strengthened by the 1965 Constitutional Convention Report, which recommended an 

elective Governor and Lieutenant Governor, the continuation of existing representation, a Resident Commissioner 

or Delegate to the House of Representatives, and the 

right of Virgin Islanders to vote in national elections for 

the President and Vice President of the United States; 

Whereas the mission for self-determination and constitutional 

reform continues today; 

Whereas the Virgin Islands of the United States common history with the United States dates back to Alexander 

Hamilton, who was raised on the island of St. Croix and 

later became one of the leaders of the American Revolution and the first Secretary of the Treasury; 

Whereas the people of the Virgin Islands of the United States 

have made significant contributions to the United States, 

including— 

(1) William Leidesdorff of St. Croix, a sea captain, 

merchant, trader, landowner, civic leader, early California 

pioneer, and the first Black millionaire in the United 

States; 

(2) Camille Pissaro, a French impressionist painter 

who was born on St. Thomas; 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
5 

•HCON 39 IH 

(3) Edward Wilmot Blyden, an intellectual, educator, linguist, clergyman, author, statesman, college president, and father of Pan-Africanism; 

(4) Hubert H. Harrison, a writer, teacher, orator, 

editor, labor leader, and ‘‘Renaissance Man’’; 

(5) Morris Simmonds, a German physician and 

noted pathologist, after whom a disease of the pituitary 

gland known as ‘‘Simmonds Disease’’ is named; 

(6) Arthur A. Schomburg, a bibliophile, historian, 

curator, and activist who raised awareness of the great 

contributions that African Latin Americans and African 

Americans have made to society, and whose collection of 

literature and art is now part of the Schomburg Center 

for Research in Black Culture at the New York Public 

Library in Harlem; 

(7) Alton A. Adams, a musician and the first Black 

bandmaster of the Navy; 

(8) Sosthenes Behn, a soldier, industrialist, business 

innovator, and founder of the International Telephone 

and Telegraph Company; 

(9) Casper Holstein, a humanitarian and philanthropist who advocated for improving the standard of living for Virgin Islanders and for a greater degree of island self-government; 

(10) Nella Larsen, one of the most influential novelists of the Harlem Renaissance; 

(11) Ashley L. Totten, an organizer and officer of 

the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and leader of 

the American Virgin Islands Civic and Industrial Association of New York; 

(12) Alonzo G. Moron, the President of Hampton 

University from 1949 to 1959; 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
6 

•HCON 39 IH 

(13) Valmy Thomas, a professional baseball player 

and the first Virgin Islands of the United States native 

to play in Major League Baseball; 

(14) Claude A. ‘‘Bennie’’ Benjamin, a musician, 

composer, and entertainer who composed musical themes 

for several Walt Disney pictures; 

(15) J. Raymond Jones, a politician, power broker, 

and Tammany Hall chief; 

(16) Roy Innis, an activist, politician, and National 

Chairman of the Congress of Racial Equality from 1968 

to 2017; 

(17) the Honorable Melvin H. Evans, the first elected Governor of the Virgin Islands of the United States 

and Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago; 

(18) the Honorable Terence A. Todman, a career 

Ambassador who served the United States across the 

globe for almost 50 years, who was decorated by the Governments of Denmark, Spain, Argentina, and Chad, and 

who received the Presidential Distinguished Service 

Award, the National Public Service Award, the Director 

General’s Cup, and the Department of State’s Superior 

Service Honor Award and Distinguished Service Award; 

(19) the Honorable Ron de Lugo, the first Delegate 

to Congress from the Virgin Islands of the United States 

and who spent 40 years in public service, locally and nationally, fought to increase the rights and privileges for 

territorial delegates, worked for the full political status of 

the Virgin Islands of the United States, and served as 

the chairman of the Subcommittee on Insular and International Affairs; and 

(20) the Honorable Donna Christian-Christensen, a 

Delegate to Congress from the Virgin Islands of the 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
7 

•HCON 39 IH 

United States and the first female physician to serve in 

Congress; 

Whereas Virgin Islanders such as Calvin Pickering, Elrod 

Hendricks, Emile Griffith, Horace Clarke, Joe Christopher, Julian Jackson, Kelsey Grammer, Kevin Krigger, 

Midre Cummings, Raja Bell, Saba Johnson, Tim Duncan, Ullmont L. James, Sr., Victor Lebron, and others 

have made substantial contributions to government, 

sports, and the arts in the United States; 

Whereas Denmark and the United States are united by 

shared values and a strong commitment to freedom, democracy, human rights, racial justice, economic self-sufficiency, prosperity, and free market opportunities and 

should continue to provide for economic and cultural exchanges, trade and investment, and people-to-people contacts; 

Whereas the Governments of Denmark and the Virgin Islands of the United States have discussed establishing a 

memorandum of understanding for sharing and preserving archival records and historic and prehistoric artifacts; 

Whereas there has been ongoing collaboration between 

schools in the Virgin Islands of the United States and 

Denmark, allowing teachers and students to share, learn, 

and strengthen intercultural understandings of a shared 

history through the creation of new teaching materials 

and a common goal to prepare students for global citizenship; 

Whereas more collaboration should occur, transcending the 

classroom to educate all Virgin Islanders, United States 

citizens, and Danes, beyond the centennial commemoraVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:35 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HC39.IH HC39

SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
8 

•HCON 39 IH 

tion in 2017 because education is critical to improving relations, understanding, and the healing process; 

Whereas the material and cultural heritage that was engendered during Danish rule, such as the music of Quelbe, 

the dance of Quadrille, and the preserved architecture, 

has manifested under United States rule and has become 

a dynamic addition to the story of the United States; 

Whereas the people of the Virgin Islands of the United 

States, like the people of the United States, have a diverse historical, cultural, and genetic inheritance linking 

them to Africa, the Caribbean, and Europe; 

Whereas Virgin Islanders and Danish Americans have contributed greatly to the history and development of the 

United States, and the 100th anniversary of their shared 

legacy should be properly recognized; 

Whereas Virgin Islanders have served the United States in 

every war and conflict since the Revolutionary War and 

have contributed to every facet of life in the United 

States; and 

Whereas 2017 marks the 100th anniversary of the Virgin Islands of the United States becoming a part of the United 

States: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), That Congress— 

3 (1) recognizes and commemorates the 100th 

4 anniversary of the Virgin Islands of the United 

5 States becoming a part of the United States; 

6 (2) appreciates the many years of strong 

7 United States-Danish diplomatic relations; 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
9 

•HCON 39 IH 

1 (3) acknowledges the creation of the Virgin Is2 lands of the United States Centennial Commission, 

3 established under Public Law 114–224, to lead the 

4 Federal effort to commemorate this centennial; and 

5 (4) encourages the Archivist of the United 

6 States to cooperate with the Governments of Den7 mark and the Virgin Islands of the United States to 

8 digitize the historical records of the Virgin Islands 

9 of the United States in the Federal archives, and 

10 make them directly accessible to the people of the 

11 Virgin Islands of the United States in secure re12 search facilities located on all three major islands of 

13 the Virgin Islands of the United States. 

Æ 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS