Virgin Islands in a CSA victory timeline?

Kind of an obscure question, but what do you y'all think would happen to what became the US Virgin Islands in a timeline where Britain and France aided the CSA in successfully seceding?
 

NothingNow

Banned
Considering that the Confederacy will likely be completely impotent outside it's own borders, I'm going to say they'll stay Danish, or be bought by the US at some point. Probably to have a naval base in the region that isn't Key West (which the union will likely never give up.)
 
Well, Denmark sold their part of the VIs to the USA in the early 20th century, in 1917.

It depends heavily on the capability of the CSA's military and economic power and the strenghth of their fleet. If the Confederate Cuba cliché is already fulfilled, the CSA does have a rather good springboard for further expansion in that part of the Caribbean, including the area of the Virgin Islands, since they are relatively close.

However, who knows how Denmark would act in such a different timeline ? Maybe they'd be more defensive of the archipelago. Or maybe they would sell it to the CSA if they considered them trustworthy enough, like the USA in OTL. It all depends on what the international relations and economic goals of Denmark and the CSA would be in such a TL. Having Denmark and the CSA in opposing economic or military alliances could sour any probability of the CSA getting the islands easily.

Thanks for this thread. There are never enough Caribbean POD discussions ! ;) It's sad how the region gets almost completely ignored.
 
a) remain Danish
b) sold to the US if the Americans in this scenario start to get involved in the Caribbean (which is not given)
c) sold to Britain

I think a is most likely.
 

NothingNow

Banned
It depends heavily on the capability of the CSA's military and economic power and the strenghth of their fleet. If the Confederate Cuba cliché is already fulfilled, the CSA does have a rather good springboard for further expansion in that part of the Caribbean, including the area of the Virgin Islands, since they are relatively close.

Problem is, a Confederate Cuba would likely break the CSA appart from internal political divisions, plus the stress of suppressing a revolution on a mountainous Tropical island.

And that's assuming that Spain, the UK and Union all don't have a problem with the Confederacy taking the place over (which would trigger another war, and one the CSA certainly can't win.)
 
Another reason I ask this question is because a few prominent early Black nationalists came from the USVI OTL, including a few Garveyists, so they could be either butterflied away, a thorn in the CSA's side from the US if they emigrate to New York as per OTL, or less likely, somehow get the wherewithal to agitate from within the CSA.
 
Another reason I ask this question is because a few prominent early Black nationalists came from the USVI OTL, including a few Garveyists, so they could be either butterflied away, a thorn in the CSA's side from the US if they emigrate to New York as per OTL, or less likely, somehow get the wherewithal to agitate from within the CSA.

That's a very good observation. :) By the by, the USVI were also the birthplaces or domicils of several influential painters, IIRC. Cultural and political history could see some notable butterflies if the fate of the islands is different.

One thing that we could also discuss is the possible merger of the BVI with the pre-US, then-Danish VI. They're basically the same archipelago, just historically carved up and divided by different owners/powers. The Spanish, the French, the Danish, the British...

Problem is, a Confederate Cuba would likely break the CSA appart from internal political divisions, plus the stress of suppressing a revolution on a mountainous Tropical island.

And that's assuming that Spain, the UK and Union all don't have a problem with the Confederacy taking the place over (which would trigger another war, and one the CSA certainly can't win.)

Exactly. Those are some of the reasons why a succesful CSA expansion into the Carribbean isn't all too realistic. Maybe if the CSA really convinced or coerced the locals to bow to their new overlords and gave them some false sence of autonomy within the CSA - just maybe - it could work. But I still think it's a far-fetched assumption. And as I said earlier, it's not just about the military fleet, but the merchant marine as well. Having colonies in the Carribbean is worthless unless you can regularly transport raw resources, goods and people from and to them.
 
Last edited:
I certainly think Denmark would never sell the islands to the 'slaveocratic' csa. Even if the csa had officially renounced slavery, their reputation would be a stench in the nostrils of the civilized world.
 
Top