In honor of Internationally Ladies’ Time and you may VI Record Few days, our company is reflecting three brave female so you’re able to just who the Area owes a high loans. There is still work is over, this is why i review attain inspiration and you can support on Virgin Islanders who have gone just before united states.
Queen Mary
Mary Thomas, also known as King Mary, (california. 1848–1905) are among the management of one’s 1878 “Fireburn” work riot, otherwise uprising, into island out-of St. Croix.
Mary Thomas was of Antigua and you can found its way to St. Croix on 1860s for taking focus on new ranches during the the latest area. Following 1848 emancipation regarding enslaved Africans regarding Danish Western Indies, a keen 1849 labor law repaired salaries and you may labor standards for all plantation workers and blocked bargaining to have most readily useful wages or works standards. Which made plantation performs unappealing and some professionals opted to go out of the latest plantations and islands, to find better standards somewhere else. Government entities reacted towards the work shortage by making they harder in order to to have gurus to exit the hawaiian islands, requiring health permits and you will asking charge to own passports. When earnings was to end up being negotiated from the kissbrides.com read what he said fall from 1878, the fresh new workers’ means was basically refused, and you may the fresh harsh conditions to possess traveling have been enforced. So it stimulated this new thus-called Fireburn riots, which have been called the largest labor riot when you look at the Danish record, and you can during which over fifty ranches were burned.
On account of their unique role since a commander when you look at the uprising elizabeth as also known as “King Mary”. The employees picked their and two almost every other female, “Queen Agnes” and you may “Queen Matilda”, since “queens” to execute ritual and celebratory qualities when you look at the uprising. Queen Mary is arrested and you can attempted together with other frontrunners of your own work uprising. At the demonstration of the work leaders Thomas are sentenced to death for arson and looting however, got their unique phrase commuted to life imprisonment, and are transferred to Copenhagen and you may placed on Ladies’ Jail, Christianshavn for the 1882, but in 1887 was sent back so you’re able to Christiansted, St. Croix to serve the rest of their own sentence.
Anna Heegaard
Anna Heegaard stays an intriguing contour inside the Virgin Countries background. She’s paid that have improving conditions to the enslaved African and you may “Totally free Coloured” population of your own Danish West Indies in the 19th century given that a result of her 20 year reference to brand new islands’ Governor Standard, Peter von Scholten.
Depending on the Encyclopedia away from Antislavery & Abolition, “Heegard let me tell you swayed new path to possess courtroom and you can societal equivalence to have totally free black folks throughout the Danish Western Indies.” Heegaard grew up in St. Croix for the January of 1790 to help you solitary mothers called a great “free mulatto woman” and you may a good Danish Government clerk. She spent my youth along with her mommy and you may half of sisters within the Christiansted. Heegard made use of their wits and you may appeal in order to create liaisons that have St. Croix’s wealthiest and you can powerful dudes, fundamentally crossing pathways to your Governor-General shortly shortly after his arrival inside 1827. From the that time, she got by herself be a somewhat prosperous lady.
Heegard therefore the Governor-Standard first started fulfilling on a regular basis to discuss this new predicament of the Free Coloured populace and you may she is believed to has actually helped your get ready a listing of societal reforms that he presented to the newest Danish Queen, exactly who designated a percentage to learn and you will create the latest regulations to possess social justice getting low-whites regarding D.W.I. . Reforms with the “unfree” eventually integrated – a managed length of work-day, reduce away from corporal punishment, banning away from public slave deals, a great reprieve to possess expecting mothers, establishment off schools and you can housing improvements. Von Scholten along with spent some time working in order to lift traps free-of-charge black colored and you can coloured some body – place them publicly ranks and you will hosting racially incorporated social characteristics, to include his personal restaurants functions presided over by Heegard. It resided given that people and you will spouse for some of a couple ily in Denmark, and eventually the pair settled from the Bulows Minde Property Family outside of Christiansted.