,,iv  #aaeth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,h4 ,,con4 ,,res4 #ci  ,,in ,,the       
,,house ,,of ,,representatives  ,march  
#bc1 #bjag,ms4 ,plaskett submitted the  
following concurrent resolution2 which  
was referred to the ,committee on       
,natural ,resources1 and in addition to 
the ,committees on ,foreign ,affairs1   
and ,oversight and ,government ,reform1 
for a period to be subsequently         
determined by the ,speaker1 in each case
 for consideration of such provisions as
 fall within the jurisdiction of the    
committee concerned  ,,concurrent       
,,resolution  ,recognizing and          
commemorating the #ajjth anniversary of 
the ,virgin ,islands of the ,united     
,states becoming a part of the ,united  
,states4  ,whereas1 on ,march #ca1      
#bjag1 the ,virgin ,islands of the      
,united ,states will commemorate #ajj   
years of being a part of the ,united    
,states2 ,whereas the ,virgin ,islands  
of the ,united ,states will use this    
anniversary1 in part1 to commemorate its

 history1 culture1 and diversity2       
,whereas one of the earliest historical 
accounts of the ,virgin ,islands of the 
,united ,states was in #adic1 when      
,carib inhabitants on ,st4 ,croix       
engaged ,christopher ,columbus on his   
second voyage1 in what is considered the
 first insurgence against ,european     
colonization in the ,new ,world2        
,whereas the three largest islands of   
the ,virgin ,islands of the ,united     
,states were ruled by at least six      
sovereigns over the past #ejj years2    
,whereas ,denmark began its acquisition 
of the islands that were to become known
 as the ,danish ,west ,indies with the  
founding of its first permanent colony  
on the island of ,st4 ,thomas in #affe1 
to be followed by the island of ,st4    
,john in #agag1 and the island of ,st4  
,croix in #agcc2 ,whereas1 during a     
#bej-year span of history1 ,denmark     
colonized those three islands as a part 
of the sugar trade1 which included      
participation in the transatlantic slave

 trade and a plantation-based system    
that subjugated slaves2 ,whereas        
significant hardships were endured by   
enslaved ,africans during the period of 
,european colonial rule1 which          
precipitated the #agcc revolution on    
,st4 ,john1 the #ahdh insurrection and  
emancipation declaration signed by      
,danish ,governor ,peter von ,scholten1 
the #ahgh rebellion on ,st4 ,croix known
 as the ,fireburn1 and the #ahib coal   
workers' strike on ,st4 ,thomas2        
,whereas1 by the spirit of resistance1  
enslaved ,african heroes like ,general  
,buddhoe1 ,anna ,hegaard1 the ,queens   
,mary1 ,agnes1 ,matilda1 ,bottom ,belly1
 and ,coziah1 and other leaders were    
able to liberate themselves and         
emancipate the ,african people2 ,whereas
 an islandwide slave insurrection on    
,st4 ,croix in ,july of #ahdh resulted  
in the official abolition of slavery in 
the ,danish ,west ,indies2 ,whereas the 
decline of the sugar industry in the    
region led ,denmark to seek a buyer for 

the ,danish ,west ,indies2 ,whereas the 
,united ,states1 seeking a strategic    
base to protect its assets in the       
,caribbean1 including the newly built   
,panama ,canal1 purchased the ,danish   
,west ,indies in #aiag through the      
,convention ,between the ,united ,states
 and ,denmark for ,cession of the       
,danish ,west ,indies1 which confirmed  
that the civil rights and political     
status of the inhabitants of the islands
 would be determined by ,congress2      
,whereas the transfer of the ,danish    
,west ,indies to the ,united ,states    
took place on ,march #ca1 #aiag1 with   
ceremonies on ,st4 ,thomas and ,st4     
,croix and is commemorated annually in  
the ,virgin ,islands of the ,united     
,states as ,transfer ,day2 ,whereas1    
after the transfer1 the ,virgin ,islands
 of the ,united ,states was administered
 by the ,navy1 which led to an improved 
system of social services1 higher paying
 jobs associated with military buildup1 
and1 later1 the development of the      

economy through increased agricultural  
production2 ,whereas1 between #aibd and 
#aibg1 several proposed bills for       
constitutional reform were discussed by 
congressional committees on insular     
affairs1 though action did not manifest 
until the enactment of the ,organic ,act
 of the ,virgin ,islands in #aicf and   
the ,revised ,organic ,act of the       
,virgin ,islands in #aied2 ,whereas the 
,organic ,act of the ,virgin ,islands   
passed as a result of efforts by ,david 
,hamilton ,jackson and ,rothschild      
,francis1 along with others1 including  
,casper ,holstein and ,ashley ,totten1  
allowing for increased self-government  
for the ,virgin ,islands of the ,united 
,states2 ,whereas the ,revised ,organic 
,act of the ,virgin ,islands promoted   
the growing political consciousness of  
,virgin ,islanders1 achieved greater    
economy and efficiency of government1   
and provided the legal basis for the    
political and administrative            
reorganization of the ,virgin ,islands  

of the ,united ,states2 ,whereas this   
was furthered strengthened by the #aife 
,constitutional ,convention ,report1    
which recommended an elective ,governor 
and ,lieutenant ,governor1 the          
continuation of existing representation1
 a ,resident ,commissioner or ,delegate 
to the ,house of ,representatives1 and  
the right of ,virgin ,islanders to vote 
in national elections for the ,president
 and ,vice ,president of the ,united    
,states2 ,whereas the mission for       
self-determination and constitutional   
reform continues today2 ,whereas the    
,virgin ,islands of the ,united ,states 
common history with the ,united ,states 
dates back to ,alexander ,hamilton1 who 
was raised on the island of ,st4 ,croix 
and later became one of the leaders of  
the ,american ,revolution and the first 
,secretary of the ,treasury2 ,whereas   
the people of the ,virgin ,islands of   
the ,united ,states have made           
significant contributions to the ,united
 ,states1 including--  7#a7 ,william    

,leidesdorff of ,st4 ,croix1 a sea      
captain1 merchant1 trader1 landowner1   
civic leader1 early ,california pioneer1
 and the first ,black millionaire in the
 ,united ,states2  7#b7 ,camille        
,pissaro1 a ,french impressionist       
painter who was born on ,st4 ,thomas2   
7#c7 ,edward ,wilmot ,blyden1 an        
intellectual1 educator1 linguist1       
clergyman1 author1 statesman1 college   
president1 and father of                
,pan-,africanism2  7#d7 ,hubert ,h4     
,harrison1 a writer1 teacher1 orator1   
editor1 labor leader1 and ,renaissance  
,man2  7#e7 ,morris ,simmonds1 a ,german
 physician and noted pathologist1 after 
whom a disease of the pituitary gland   
known as ,simmonds ,disease is named2   
7#f7 ,arthur ,a4 ,schomburg1 a          
bibliophile1 historian1 curator1 and    
activist who raised awareness of the    
great contributions that ,african ,latin
 ,americans and ,african ,americans have
 made to society1 and whose collection  
of literature and art is now part of the

 ,schomburg ,center for ,research in    
,black ,culture at the ,new ,york       
,public ,library in ,harlem2  7#g7      
,alton ,a4 ,adams1 a musician and the   
first ,black bandmaster of the ,navy2   
7#h7 ,sosthenes ,behn1 a soldier1       
industrialist1 business innovator1 and  
founder of the ,international ,telephone
 and ,telegraph ,company2  7#i7 ,casper 
,holstein1 a humanitarian and           
philanthropist who advocated for        
improving the standard of living for    
,virgin ,islanders and for a greater    
degree of island self-government2  7#aj7
 ,nella ,larsen1 one of the most        
influential novelists of the ,harlem    
,renaissance2  7#aa7 ,ashley ,l4        
,totten1 an organizer and officer of the
 ,brotherhood of ,sleeping ,car ,porters
 and leader of the ,american ,virgin    
,islands ,civic and ,industrial         
,association of ,new ,york2  7#ab7      
,alonzo ,g4 ,moron1 the ,president of   
,hampton ,university from #aidi to      
#aiei2  7#ac7 ,valmy ,thomas1 a         

professional baseball player and the    
first ,virgin ,islands of the ,united   
,states native to play in ,major ,league
 ,baseball2  7#ad7 ,claude ,a4 ,bennie  
,benjamin1 a musician1 composer1 and    
entertainer who composed musical themes 
for several ,walt ,disney pictures2     
7#ae7 ,j4 ,raymond ,jones1 a politician1
 power broker1 and ,tammany ,hall chief2
  7#af7 ,roy ,innis1 an activist1       
politician1 and ,national ,chairman of  
the ,congress of ,racial ,equality from 
#aifh to #bjag2  7#ag7 the ,honorable   
,melvin ,h4 ,evans1 the first elected   
,governor of the ,virgin ,islands of the
 ,united ,states and ,ambassador to     
,trinidad and ,tobago2  7#ah7 the       
,honorable ,terence ,a4 ,todman1 a      
career ,ambassador who served the       
,united ,states across the globe for    
almost #ej years1 who was decorated by  
the ,governments of ,denmark1 ,spain1   
,argentina1 and ,chad1 and who received 
the ,presidential ,distinguished        
,service ,award1 the ,national ,public  

,service ,award1 the ,director          
,general's ,cup1 and the ,department of 
,state's ,superior ,service ,honor      
,award and ,distinguished ,service      
,award2  7#ai7 the ,honorable ,ron de   
,lugo1 the first ,delegate to ,congress 
from the ,virgin ,islands of the ,united
 ,states and who spent #dj years in     
public service1 locally and nationally1 
fought to increase the rights and       
privileges for territorial delegates1   
worked for the full political status of 
the ,virgin ,islands of the ,united     
,states1 and served as the chairman of  
the ,subcommittee on ,insular and       
,international ,affairs2 and  7#bj7 the 
,honorable ,donna                       
,christian-,christensen1 a ,delegate to 
,congress from the ,virgin ,islands of  
the ,united ,states and the first female
 physician to serve in ,congress2       
,whereas ,virgin ,islanders such as     
,calvin ,pickering1 ,elrod ,hendricks1  
,emile ,griffith1 ,horace ,clarke1 ,joe 
,christopher1 ,julian ,jackson1 ,kelsey 

,grammer1 ,kevin ,krigger1 ,midre       
,cummings1 ,raja ,bell1 ,saba ,johnson1 
,tim ,duncan1 ,ullmont ,l4 ,james1 ,sr41
 ,victor ,lebron1 and others have made  
substantial contributions to government1
 sports1 and the arts in the ,united    
,states2 ,whereas ,denmark and the      
,united ,states are united by shared    
values and a strong commitment to       
freedom1 democracy1 human rights1 racial
 justice1 economic self-sufficiency1    
prosperity1 and free market             
opportunities and should continue to    
provide for economic and cultural       
exchanges1 trade and investment1 and    
people-to-people contacts2 ,whereas the 
,governments of ,denmark and the ,virgin
 ,islands of the ,united ,states have   
discussed establishing a memorandum of  
understanding for sharing and preserving
 archival records and historic and      
prehistoric artifacts2 ,whereas there   
has been ongoing collaboration between  
schools in the ,virgin ,islands of the  
,united ,states and ,denmark1 allowing  

teachers and students to share1 learn1  
and strengthen intercultural            
understandings of a shared history      
through the creation of new teaching    
materials and a common goal to prepare  
students for global citizenship2        
,whereas more collaboration should      
occur1 transcending the classroom to    
educate all ,virgin ,islanders1 ,united 
,states citizens1 and ,danes1 beyond the
 centennial commemoration in #bjag      
because education is critical to        
improving relations1 understanding1 and 
the healing process2 ,whereas the       
material and cultural heritage that was 
engendered during ,danish rule1 such as 
the music of ,quelbe1 the dance of      
,quadrille1 and the preserved           
architecture1 has manifested under      
,united ,states rule and has become a   
dynamic addition to the story of the    
,united ,states2 ,whereas the people of 
the ,virgin ,islands of the ,united     
,states1 like the people of the ,united 
,states1 have a diverse historical1     

cultural1 and genetic inheritance       
linking them to ,africa1 the ,caribbean1
 and ,europe2 ,whereas ,virgin          
,islanders and ,danish ,americans have  
contributed greatly to the history and  
development of the ,united ,states1 and 
the #ajjth anniversary of their shared  
legacy should be properly recognized2   
,whereas ,virgin ,islanders have served 
the ,united ,states in every war and    
conflict since the ,revolutionary ,war  
and have contributed to every facet of  
life in the ,united ,states2 and        
,whereas #bjag marks the #ajjth         
anniversary of the ,virgin ,islands of  
the ,united ,states becoming a part of  
the ,united ,states3 ,now1 therefore1 be
 it  ,that ,congress-- 7#a7 recognizes  
and commemorates the #ajjth anniversary 
of the ,virgin ,islands of the ,united  
,states becoming a part of the ,united  
,states2  7#b7 appreciates the many     
years of strong ,united ,states-,danish 
diplomatic relations2  7#c7 acknowledges
 the creation of the ,virgin ,islands of

 the ,united ,states ,centennial        
,commission1 established under ,public  
,law #aad-bbd1 to lead the ,federal     
effort to commemorate this centennial2  
and  7#d7 encourages the ,archivist of  
the ,united ,states to cooperate with   
the ,governments of ,denmark and the    
,virgin ,islands of the ,united ,states 
to digitize the historical records of   
the ,virgin ,islands of the ,united     
,states in the ,federal archives1 and   
make them directly accessible to the    
people of the ,virgin ,islands of the   
,united ,states in secure research      
facilities located on all three major   
islands of the ,virgin ,islands of the  
,united ,states4