Emancipation Day (U.S. Virgin Islands)

Emancipation Day is a public holiday in U.S. Virgin Islands, and it is observed on July 3 each year. The holiday commemorates the abolition of the slavery in US Virgin Islands in 1848.

The U.S. Virgin Islands contain three main islands: Saint Croix, Saint John, Saint Thomas, and many surrounding small islands and cays. It is an unincorporated and organized territory of the United States.

Christopher Columbus discovered the islands in 1493 during his second voyage. In the following two hundred years, people from Spain, France, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands started to settle on the islands. The islands became royal Danish colonies in 1754.

The sugar plantations were successful and became the main economy on the islands in the 17th century. However, the population on the island is small and a great demand for labor led to the slave trade in 1673 to the islands.

The harsh working conditions and the inhumane treatment led to massive slave rebellions. The first massive slave rebellions took place in 1733, and slaves took over the island for six months. Another massive slave rebellion in 1848 forced the government to abolish slavery on the islands.

The following is the list of Emancipation Day in the U.S. Virgin Islands from 2022 to 2026.

Please check more public holidays in the U.S. Virgin Islands: