Historical Organization
Suriname colonial government
Suriname colonial government
Details
Organization Timeline
Emancipation law is proclaimed in Suriname
📅 3 October 1862The law abolishing slavery was proclaimed in Suriname. Its delayed effective date and ten-year state supervision show how abolition was structured to protect plantation production. Owners received...
Dutch-British treaty authorizes recruitment of Indian workers
📅 8 September 1870The treaty established a framework for recruiting workers from British India. Though described as voluntary contract labor, the system relied on poverty, limited choices, state supervision, and...
Lalla Rookh departs with Indian contract workers for Suriname
📅 26 February 1873The ship left Calcutta with 410 people bound for Suriname; 11 died during the voyage. Many entered the system amid poverty and restricted choices. The journey created a diaspora while supplying...
Lalla Rookh arrives with first treaty-recruited Indian workers
📅 5 June 1873The first Indian contract workers recruited under the 1870 treaty arrived after a 99-day voyage. Authorities distributed them to plantations on landing. The system expanded a South Asian community...
Ten-year state supervision of emancipated people ends
📅 1 July 1873The compulsory labor supervision imposed after emancipation ended. This marked a legal step toward freedom of movement, though land inequality and plantation power remained. Formerly enslaved people...
First Javanese contract workers arrive in Suriname
📅 9 August 1890The Koningin Emma brought 94 Javanese workers to Suriname. Recruitment from Java extended colonial labor across the empire to sustain plantations after emancipation. Workers built lasting...
Colonial troops fire on Mariënburg workers
📅 30 July 1902Colonial forces opened fire after workers marched to the estate office; many workers were killed and wounded. This violence exposed how the post-emancipation plantation economy enforced labor...