1878 St. Croix labor riot

Fireburn
Illustration from Illustreret Tidende, November 1878.
Date	1 October – mid-October 1878
Location	Danish West Indies, modern day US Virgin Islands
Caused by	Lack of freedom for the laborers, debt peonage
Goals	More freedom to the laborers
Methods	Deadly riots, protests
Resulted in	Revolt suppressed 879 acres burned
Parties
Denmark Danish West Indies Supported by:  United Kingdom  United States  France (all from 4 October) Queens of the Fireburn Labor Rioters
Lead figures
Janus August Garde "Queen Mary" Thomas "Queen Agnes" Salomon "Queen Mathilda" McBean
Casualties and losses
2 soldiers 12 laborers
14 women 60 laborers

The St. Croix Labor Riot of 1878, also known as the Fireburn, was a crucial historical event of resistance and labor hardship in the Danish West Indies, illustrating the lasting effects of the slavery and systematic exploitation of liberated laborers. Even after emancipation was declared in 1848, former enslaved peoples of African descent were forced into contracts that would keep them working and living in harsh conditions. On October 1, 1878, Contract Day, a protest against these injustices erupted into a rebellion, led by the three women dubbed the "Four Queens": Mary Thomas, Axelene "Agnes" Salomon, and Mathilda Mcbean, Susana Abramsen. This uprising is still remembered today as a symbol of resistance to systematic oppression.^[1]