Suriname Independence Day – November 25, 2024

History of Suriname Independence Day

Spanish, French, and English explorers first landed in Suriname in the 16th century. A hundred years later, its fertile land and rivers became home to plantation colonies established by Dutch and English settlers. Territorial disputes arose during the Second Anglo-Dutch War in 1667, and a peace treaty ensured the Dutch kept Suriname. In return, the English governed New Netherland, a former Dutch colony in North America. In 1683, the city of Amsterdam founded the Society of Suriname to rule and defend the territory. The lucrative coffee, sugar cane, cocoa, and cotton plantations in Suriname depended on the hard labor of enslaved people from Africa. Plantation owners’ treatment of workers was notoriously harsh — savage and unforgiving even by the standards of the time.

In 1863, the Netherlands officially abolished slavery in Suriname, although true freedom was a long way away. Plantation owners exploited a ten-year transition period to get as much work out of their workers as possible for minimal pay. When this period expired in 1873, formerly enslaved people abandoned the plantations and moved to the capital city, Paramaribo. After W.W.I.I., Suriname became a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Netherlands regained control of Suriname’s foreign affairs and defense. But the local government had other plans. The Creole members of the National Party of Suriname (N.P.S.) started negotiations to push for complete independence. Their efforts did not go in vain, and on November 25, 1975, Suriname became free. Henck Arron, then-leader of the N.P.S., became the country’s first Prime Minister, while Johan Ferrier, former governor, was the first President.