St Thomas History - From then until now
When talking about the history of St Thomas, one really has to dig into the history of the Virgin Islands as a whole. Divisions of the US Virgin Islands vs the British Virgin Islands are somewhat recent distinction.
The Virgin Islands were originally inhabited by immigrants from Venezuela and Guyana starting around 300 AD. They were a peaceful farming and fishing people, and were eventually overtaken by the Carib Indians in the 1300 or 1400s.
Christopher Columbus arrived in the Virgin Islands in 1493 during his second voyage. Columbus actually named the islands (their present name, anyway) after the 11,000 virgins that were martyred with St. Ursula. The people of the Virgin Islands were enslaved by Spanish colonists and put to work farming and mining. Disease and malnutrition were rampant, and many sought to escape other nearby islands.
St. Thomas was then settled by the Danish around 1672, although it remained under French control until at least 1733. During this time, St. Thomas and the port of Charlotte Amalie in particular became a trading ground for many pirates. Even the famed Blackbeard was known to have stayed there.
Slavery continued to be a major factor in St. Thomas history. In 1733 there was a major rebellion by slave laborers on the island, and reinforcements had to be sent to quell the uprising. This may have been one of the contributing factors in the French handing the Virgin Islands over to Danish control in 1754.
St. Thomas entered a period of significant prosperity, becoming a major center for trade for many nations including the French, English, German, Italian, and Spanish. While slavery was still in practice, the economy was much less reliant on it than it had been in the past. In 1848 another major slave uprising finally led to the practice being abolished.
In 1917, the United States bought what is now the US Virgin Islands, primarily for military purposes. The US did not want Germany to establish a base so close to its borders. It granted US citizenship to all of the inhabitants of the islands, and only a few years later allowed them to elect their own governing officials.
Since the mid 20th century tourism has grown to be the largest industry in St Thomas. Consistent, beautiful weather, picturesque beaches, and idyllic scenery draw crowds of people every year. Besides all of the usual activities that go along with an island destination, St. Thomas is a major shopping destination in the Caribbean.