Coffy identifies planter abuse as the cause of the uprising

Enslaved people in Berbice began a major uprising for freedom. Within a day, the rebellion had spread across plantations. Led by Coffy and other organizers, the insurgents challenged a colonial system...

Coffy and Accara sent a letter explaining that the uprising responded to the abuse and withholding of what was owed to enslaved people. Their demands were political: freedom, fair treatment, and...

The governor reported that the revolt had spread across plantations and forced colonists to flee. His dispatch records the scale of insurgent action from an administrative viewpoint. The rebellion’s...

Van Hoogenheim replied to Coffy’s proposal that the colony be divided between colonists and freedom fighters. The governor did not accept the insurgents’ claim to land and freedom, instead delaying...

Governor Van Hoogenheim chaired a council that decided to keep negotiations open only to delay while reinforcements were expected. This record exposes the colonial government’s bad faith in talks with...

A colonial report recorded Coffy’s death amid internal tensions among insurgent leaders and the government’s military campaign. His death weakened the uprising, but the struggle continued into 1764....

Dutch governor Wilhelm Falk and representatives of the Kingdom of Kandy concluded a treaty after war. The treaty recognized Dutch coastal claims and expanded company control over cinnamon...

A colonial officer reported that the Aluku stronghold at Buku was protected by marshland and a concealed path. The fort’s location and defenses helped Maroon communities withstand VOC-style colonial...

A witness account records Baron’s raid on Poelwijk. Baron and Boni’s Aluku forces attacked plantations and freed enslaved people, undermining the labor regime and colonial authority. The account comes...

The Battle of Buku formed part of the Boni wars. Dutch forces eventually entered and destroyed the fortified settlement, but the Aluku had used its swamp setting and defenses to resist capture. This...