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The First Attempt To Colonize Suriname
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First Successful Settlement of Suriname - Fort Willoughby
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Slavery In Suriname
Slavery was the backbone of the plantation economy. An estimated 400,000 African slaves were brought to Suriname to work as agricultural labourers. The Dutch officially abolished slavery in 1863 in Suriname. However, out of fear that once emancipated, the former slaves would refuse to work for the plantations, they were required to continue their plantation work for the next 10 years on a contract basis and were not released until 1873. -
Fort Willoughby Captured By The Dutch
Seven ships left from the Zeeland region of the Netherlands. Led by Abraham Crijnssen, Fort Willoughby was captured after a three-hour fight and was renamed Fort Zeelandia. -
Suriname Becomes A Colony Of The Netherlands
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The Treaty of Breda
Signed at the Dutch city of Breda by England, the United Provinces or as we now know it the Netherlands, France, and Denmark–Norway. This brought an end to the Second Anglo-Dutch War that lasted from 1665 to 1667. The Treaty decided the claim on the settlement of New Amsterdam. -
Treaty of Westminster
The Treaty ended the Third Anglo-Dutch War (1672-1674). It was signed by Charles II of England and the States General of the Netherlands on March 5, 1674. The Treaty of Westminster restored the Treaty of Breda, giving New Amsterdam back to England, as the Dutch stole it back during the Third Anglo-Dutch War. -
Boni Becomes The Leader Of The Cottica-Maroons
Boni succeeded Asikan Sylvester as the leader of the group that would then change to become known under his name "Boni's". -
Anglo-Dutch Slave Trade Treaty
William I of the Netherlands, signed a royal decree to abolish slavery in June 1814 and created the Anglo-Dutch Slave Trade Treaty in May 1818. The Dutch officially abolished slavery in 1863 in Suriname. -
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Indentured Workers
These Asian immigrants signed contracts that bound them to jobs in the colony for a designated number of years. The vast majority of these immigrants worked as agricultural labourers. -
Alcoa Mining Company
In 1916, the U.S. aluminum company Alcoa began mining bauxite on the banks of the Cottica River, near the village of Moengo. Alcoa had a claim on a large area in Suriname where bauxite was found. -
Suriname Vital to Netherlands
In 1922 Suriname became a vital part of The Netherlands, the colony was a great asset to the economy and provided support to their parent country. -
The U.S. In Suriname
On November 23, 1941, under an agreement with the Netherlands government, the United States occupied Dutch Guiana to protect the bauxite mines. -
New Constitution
A new constitution elevated the colonies status to that of a coequal member of the kingdom. Suriname gained self-government, with the Netherlands retaining control of the defence and foreign affairs. -
Suriname Becomes a Constituent Country Of The Netherlands
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Political Avocation For Independence
A coalition of political parties advocating total independence from the Netherlands won the election in 1973 and formed a government under Prime Minister Henck Arron. The first President of the country was Johan Ferrier who ruled alongside Arron. -
Suriname Becomes An Independent Country
The Dutch government started independence negotiations with the local government which was led by the NPS, a largely Creole party. Independence of Suriname was granted on November 25, 1975. -
The Overthrow Of President Henck Arron
A military plan overthrew the president, removing his power over the country. -
Suspension Of The Constitution
By February 1982 the parliament had been completely dissolved and suspended the constitution. Bouterse became the nation’s leader and ruled by decree as commander in chief of the army. -
The National Assembly of Suriname Forms
Influenced by external and internal pressures the National Military Council allowed a new parliament, the National Assembly of Suriname, to form in 1985. -
Start Of The Guerrilla War
A Guerrilla war broke out in 1986, disrupting the nation’s economy. The military group known as the Surinamese Liberation Army began working towards for the restoration of the constitutional state. -
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The Guerrilla War
The Guerrilla War lasted from 1986 to 1992. The war began as a personal feud between Bouterse and a man named Brunswijk, who was a Maroon that served as Bouterse's former bodyguard. By September 1989, at least 300 people had been killed, many villages were destroyed, and the mining of bauxite and aluminum were being disrupted yet again. An estimated 7000 maroons fled to refugee camps in French Guiana. -
New Constitution
A new constitution was drafted and approved by 93 percent of the elected officials in September 1987. -
New President Ramsewak Shankar
In January 1988 the National Assembly elected Ramsewak Shankar, a former agriculture minister, as president, and Arron became vice president. -
Guerrilla War Cease-Fire
A cease-fire was signed in June 1989. The peace agreement instated initiatives to rebuild Maroon villages and to bring the return of refugees to Suriname. Cease-fire violations continued after the truce but it was not severe enough to escalate into a full-scale conflict. -
Bouterse Ousted The Shankar Government
Despite the return to constitutional rule, Bouterse retained power through his control of the military. He ousted the Shankar government in December 1990. -
End Of The Guerrilla War
On March 27 1991, the final negotiations for peace took place and by 1992 the Guerrilla war was officially over.