David Hamilton Jackson (September 28, 1884 – May 30, 1946) was a

labor rights Labor rights or workers' rights are both legal rights and human rights relating to labor relations between workers and employers. These rights are codified in national and international labor and employment law. In general, the ...

advocate in the

Danish West Indies The Danish West Indies () or Danish Virgin Islands () or Danish Antilles were a Danish colony in the Caribbean, consisting of the islands of Saint Thomas with , Saint John () with , Saint Croix with , and Water Island. The islands of St ...

, later the

United States Virgin Islands The United States Virgin Islands, officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and a territory of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located ...

. Jackson was an important figure in the struggle for increased

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...

and workers' rights on the islands. He petitioned for

freedom of the press Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic Media (communication), media, especially publication, published materials, shoul ...

, and organized the St. Croix Labor Union. Following the transfer of the territory to American control in 1917, he lobbied for US citizenship for the islanders.

Life and career

Jackson worked as an educator and later a bookkeeper and clerk before becoming involved in the politics of the Danish West Indies. He traveled to Denmark and successfully petitioned for the repeal of a 1779 law which prohibited independent newspapers and enforced strict censorship on all publications in the territory. Upon returning home, he established the first free newspaper, '' The Herald''. The date of this event, November 1, is celebrated as an annual

public holiday A public holiday, national holiday, federal holiday, statutory holiday, bank holiday or legal holiday is a holiday generally established by law and is usually a non-working day during the year. Types Civic holiday A ''civic holiday'', also k ...

known as " Liberty Day", D. Hamilton Jackson Day, or Bull and Bread Day in the U.S. Virgin Islands. With the help of Ralph Bough, Jackson organized the St. Croix Labor Union in 1915. In response to an accusation by a local plantation manager that Jackson was organizing a revolt, the Danish government ordered the cruiser Valkyrien to the Danish West Indies. In 1916, under Jackson's leadership, the St. Croix Labor Union went on strike and negotiated an agreement with the Planters Association to raise the wage of sugar cane laborers from 20 cents to 35 cents, among other concessions. The same year, he lobbied for the transfer of the islands to American control. After his visit, a majority of the

Folketing The Folketing ( , ), also known as the Parliament of Denmark or the Danish Parliament in English, is the unicameral national legislature (parliament) of the Kingdom of Denmark — Denmark proper together with the Faroe Islands and Greenland. E ...

was convinced that Danish rule over the islands should be ended. A residential community in Christiansted has been named in his honor. He is also honored in the Grove Place Settlement Across from the Baobab tree.

References

Sources

St. Croix Public School: D. Hamilton Jackson Biography
*https://web.archive.org/web/20160310145643/http://www.virgin-islands-history.org/en/fates/d-hamilton-jackson-rebel-and-hero/ *https://web.archive.org/web/20151210111349/http://webpac.uvi.edu/imls/pi_uvi/profiles1972/Judges_Attorneys/Jackson_DH/text.shtml

External links

"The Herald"
issues openly online in the

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1884 births 1946 deaths American civil rights activists American trade union leaders United States Virgin Islands activists People from Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands People from the Danish West Indies Danish trade union leaders Labor in the Caribbean {{worker-activist-stub

Life and career

See also

References

Sources

External links