The Emancipation of the Virgin Islands in 1848
Rebellion and the End of Slavery in the Danish West Indies
Jul 14, 2009
In 1847, King Christian VIII decreed that all Danish West Indian slaves were to be free within 12 years, and their sons and daughters born during this period to have been born free. An open dissatisfaction with this “interim” period of slavery in the Danish West Indies provoked a revolt.
Growing discontent in Europe over the slave matter supported Christian VIII’s decree. The slave trade had been outlawed by Royal Resolution as early as 1792 (to take effect by the date of 1802), but the influential and wealthy plantation owners had garnered for the right to continue their system of agricultural exploitation almost unhindered. After the royal decree, although, the slave population, who had caught news of slave rebellions in the French islands Martinique and Guadeloupe, were endemically set to alter their political status.
Open Rebellion in Frederiksted
The rebellion started with an open avowal against the edict. On July 2, 1848, in Frederiksted, St. Croix, there were outward protests on the local street and ship harbors which continued the next morning with the plundering and ransacking of local houses. The white inhabitants of the local town fled, seeking refuge in the harbor aboard ships and other places, armed with guns. Many fiery demonstrations then took place under the apparent command of Moses “General Buddhoe, or Bordeaux “ Gottlieb,” assessed in Danish West Indian history as the leader of the revolt.
Emancipation Proclamation
The Governor-General Peter Von Scholten, after arriving on-sight of the debacle, issued the Emancipation Proclamation on July 3, and printed the formal announcements to be distributed to other attachments in the rebellion. His intentions had apparently been in place since 1833, when the British issued their Act of Emancipation and his close confidence with Frederik VI afforded him to venture with the idea of the proposal.
Governor Von Scholten’s Resignation and the End of the Rebellion
Looting and ransacking continued after the Proclamation, apparently unabated by the impending disorder. Some units of former slaves did not believe the issuance and continued plundering, only stopping with Von Scholten’s personal interference. Others caught in the melee met surrender under Major Falbe. On July 6, Von Scholten was met with stiff rebuke from a group of planters in Christiansted, who woefully upbraided his decision. Governor Scholten resigned the following evening, and a provisional government was put in place. This government was superseded by Oberst von Oxholm, who, upon the arrival of Spanish troops, had General Buddhoe exiled to Trinidad. The rebellion thus ended with very few casualties, in fact it has been referred to as a “bloodless” rebellion due to Buddhoe’s diplomacy and leadership.
Sources:
Dookhan,Isaac. A History of the Virgin Islands of the United States. 3rd ed. Kingston, Jamaica: Canoe Press, 1994.
Jensen, Peter. From Serfdom to Fireburn and Strike : the History of Black Labor in the Danish West Indies, 1848-1916. Christiansted, St. Croix [V.I.]: Antilles Press, 1998.
Lauring, Paulle. A History of the Kingdom of Denmark. Translated by David Hohnen. Høst & Søn: Copenhagen. 1960.
Westergaard,Waldemar. The Danish West Indies under Company Rule (1671-1754): with a supplementary chapter, 1755-1917. Facsim. of: 1917 ed. New York: Macmilllan, 1917. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University Microfilms, 1973.
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