Seven constitutional/political documents were enacted, proclaimed, ordered
or stipulated in the Danish West Indies during the entire course of the Danish Colonial
period, 1666-1917. These documents centrally affected the social, economic and
political development of the tropical colony.

 They were:

 1. The Charter of March 11, 1671 of the Danish West India
 and Guinea Company

 2. Orders of Governor Jorgen Iversen of August 8, 1672

 3. Emancipation Proclamation of July 3, 1848

 4. Labor Act of January 26, 1849

 5. Colonial Law of March 26, 1852

 6. Colonial Law of November 27, 1863

 7. Colonial Law of April 6, 1906

 The Charter of March 11. 1671 of the Danish West India
 and Guinea Company

 The Historical Context

 In the grand scheme of European countries exploring and colonizing the
 Americas, including the West Indies, Denmark was a late-comer. In spite of being the
 oldest monarchy in Europe, this small scandinavian country simply did not have the
 requisite means and resources to compete with the likes of Spain, France, England,
 and others, during the early portion of the Age of European Exploration and
 Colonization in new and far-away lands.

 Nonetheless, by the 17th Century, the Danes wanted to prosper in the
 colonial and commercial endeavors engaged in by their fellow Europeans. Toward
 this end, in 1671, some entrepreneurial Danes formed a joint stock company, known
 as the Danish West India and Guinea Company. King Christian V (1670-1699)
 granted the company a charter on March 11, 1671.1 Thus, The Charter of March 11.
 1671 of the Danish West India and Guinea Company became the initial major political
 or constitutional document of U.S. Virgin Islands history.

 The most important provisions of the Charter were as follows:

 1. The Company had the right of monopoly to settle and
 colonize St. Thomas and any other uninhabited islands.