Transfer Day in the U.S. Virgin Islands commemorates the transfer of the islands from Denmark to the United States in 1917, marking a major historical turning point for the territory.

When is Transfer Day?

Transfer Day is observed every year on March 31.

The following is the list of Transfer Day from 2020 to 2049.

The History of Transfer Day?

Denmark colonized the islands beginning in the 17th century: St. Thomas (1671), St. John (1718), and later purchased St. Croix from France (1733).

Under Danish rule, the islands became central to sugar production and the transatlantic slave trade. Slavery was abolished in 1848, but the islands remained under Danish control, with limited rights for the majority Black population.

In the early 1900s, the U.S. government saw strategic value in the islands, particularly to protect shipping lanes near the Panama Canal during World War I.

A treaty was signed on August 4, 1916, in which the U.S. agreed to purchase the islands from Denmark for $25 million in gold. The formal Transfer Ceremony occurred on March 31, 1917.

Initially, the islands were governed by the U.S. Navy until 1931. In 1954, the U.S. Congress passed the Revised Organic Act, giving the territory a civil government and greater autonomy.

U.S. citizenship was granted to Virgin Islanders in 1927. Today, the U.S. Virgin Islands remain an unincorporated territory, with representation in Congress through a non-voting delegate.

Transfer Day is a public holiday, particularly celebrated on St. Thomas, and it's a time for reflection on colonial history, cultural identity, and the ongoing conversation about self-determination and political status.