112 Oruno D. LaraThe resistance of the Negroes in Haiti during the French occupation, from
the second half of the sixteenth century up to the War of Toussaint
Louverture (1790-1803), which enabled Haiti to overthrow the colonial
regime.Negro communities in the Guiana woodsNegroes who ran away from the Surinam plantations had been taking refuge
in the virgin forest and organizing themselves with the help of the Indians since
the middle of the seventeenth century. Under the governorship of Sommelsdijk,
the Dutch made several attempts to wipe out bands of Maroons.
The number of rebel slaves was constantly growing, it rose from 6,000
in 1725-30 to 8,000 by the end of the century. The Dutch were obliged to
conclude a peace treaty with the Negro rebel chiefs, as were the British in
Jamaica, who were vanquished in the field. In 1760, Governor Crommelin
set about renewing the peace offers to the Maroons along Djuka Creek. On
22 May 1761, peace was concluded with the Djuka, then in October Major
Meyer confirmed the official peace with the two most important Djuka chief-
tains : Arabi and Pamo. A year later, on 18 September 1762, the Saramaccaners
signed a peace under the same conditions. In 1767, the Becu-Musinga group,
who were Matwari Negroes, led by the chieftain Musinga, concluded a separate
peace with the Dutch and remained on board the Saramacca. They secured
free passage along the Vanica Creek for their products.Afro-American insurrectionsThe history of the United States of America is marked by slave insurrections
from the time of the Thirteen Colonies onwards. Starting in the seventeenth
century with the outbreaks of 1663 and 1687, going on in the eighteenth century
—in 1709, 1710, 1722, 1723 and 1730 in Virginia alone—slave uprisings steadily
increased. In New York itself there were two insurrections, in 1712 and 1741.
In South Carolina the situation was still worse, the insurrections following
closely one another—1720, 1723, 1738, 1739, 1740. A law on slave control
tells us that there were many revolts before 1704.
The conspiracies instigated in Virginia by Gabriel in 1800 and by Nat
Turner in 1831 are well known. During this period, there were several uprisings
in the area—1802 (Nottaway County), 1808 and 1809, 1812, 1814, 1816, 1829,
- In Maryland and North Carolina there was a succession of uprisings
too—1802, 1821, 1831, 1843, 1859. In South Carolina, after the 1797 and 1816
outbreaks, there was an insurrection in 1822 led by a Negro from Saint-
Thomas in the West Indies, Denmark Fesey, which stands out as a landmark
in the history of Afro-American resistance. In Georgia, there were threatening