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During the second half
of the 18th century, the island enjoyed
a period of enormous economic prosperity
based on the cultivation of sugar, the production
of rum, and the slave trade. The Danish
West Indies served as a central slave marketplace
in the region, and despite the protestations
of the Danish Crown, St. Croix's planters
relied heavily on slave labor. The Danish
government declared slavery illegal in 1792
but assisted planters in acquiring slaves
during a "transition" period;
the slave trade was abolished in 1803. However,
St. Croix's slaves would not achieve independence
until July 3, 1848, when Governor-General
Peter von Scholten roused from his bed in
the wee hours of the morning by the news
of a slave insurrection ordered their immediate
emancipation.
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