Columbus' visit would prove to be the demise of the indigenous 'Indians'. They had no immunity to European diseases that the explorers brought with them. Nor were the 'Indians' prepared to deal with the harsh work the explorers forced them to do. Within several decades following Columbus' visit the 'Indian' populations had plummeted. Today they no longer exist in the U.S.V.I.

The islands went through a period of sleep after Columbus' visit. They awakened to have Holland, France, England, Spain, Denmark and the Knights of Malta seeking to settle in the islands. Between the attempted settlements, pirates and buccaneers also showed a great interest in the islands. The Danish West India Company successfully established a settlement on St. Thomas in 1672 and on St. John in 1694.

The Danish had claimed St. John as early as the 1680's. However, hostility from the neighboring British on Tortola prevented the Danes from establishing a settlement in Coral Bay. The British in order to maintain hospitable relations with Denmark eventually ceased their opposition. After the Danes settled St. John, plantation agriculture developed rapidly on the little island.

In 1685, the Danish government signed a treaty with the Dutch of Brandenburg. This treaty allowed the Brandenburg American Company to establish a slave-trading post on St. Thomas. Early governors also approved of St. Thomas becoming a pirates' safe haven. The governors realized an influx of pirates would benefit local merchants. But while piracy ceased to be a factor in the island's economy in the early 19th century, slave trade continued.

From 1700 to 1750, when piracy was on the decline, legitimate trade was on the upswing and prosperous merchants replaced buccaneers on Dronningens Gade (Main Street) in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas. It was around this time St. Croix would be purchased. St. Croix, until 1733, was a French colony and in that year the Danish company bought the island from France. The three islands, St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John, were then known as the Danish West Indies.

In following years, the islands became major sugar producers relying on slavery to keep the economy strong. Market Square in Charlotte Amalie was the location of some of the largest slave auctions in the New World. St. John and St. Croix were the sites of many sugar plantations. Slavery was abolished by Denmark in 1848. Thereafter, planters began to abandon their estates. The population and economy in the islands declined.

The islands remained Danish colonies until 1917, when the United States purchased them for $25 million in gold.

The islands were purchased to improve military positioning during critical times of World War I. The Virgin Islands were used as a defense center during World War II. In the years after the end of World War II, the U.S.V.I moved into a new position as a tourist destination.

The Military and the Interior Departments managed the territory until the passage of the Organic Act in 1936. Today the U.S.V.I is a U.S. territory, run by an elected governor. The territory is under the jurisdiction of the president of the United States of America. People born in the U.S.V.I are American citizens.

In 1956 Laurance Rockefeller gave the National Park Service a generous gift of 5,000 acres of land. This gift along with subsequent additions have increased the holdings. Today almost two thirds of St. John's beautiful forest, shorelines and underwater lands are protected by the Park.

In 1996 Water Island, located in St. Thomas' Charlotte Amalie harbor, was officially returned to the U.S.V.I from the Department of the Interior. Today Water Island is the fourth United States Virgin Island.

The islands of St. Croix, St. Thomas, St. John and Water Island entered the new millennium as one of the premiere destinations for tourist visiting the Caribbean.