Resistance and Marronage — analysing historical sources

Source analysis lesson for secondary years 4–6 on different forms of resistance against the Surinamese slavery system.

Introduction

Resistance against slavery in Suriname took many forms: marronage (mass flight into the forest), armed uprising, arson, deliberate slow work, holding on to one's own religion and language. In this lesson you analyse three historical cases and assess their political and symbolic impact.

For each case use the four W's: Who, What, Why, When — and then the How (method) and Effect (consequence).

Exercises

1. CASE 1 — Boni Wars (1768–1793). Read Boni's biography at /en/personen/boni. Answer the four W's + How + Effect.

Who: Boni, Baron, Joli-Coeur. What: armed resistance from the forest. Why: freedom. When: 1768–1793. How: guerrilla, palisades. Effect: forced the colony into peace treaties with other Maroons.

2. CASE 2 — Fire of Paramaribo (1832). Read the biography of Kodjo, Mentor and Present. Assess: was their act terrorism or resistance? Substantiate your answer.

Open task. Discuss the difference between "resistance" (targeted at an unjust system) and "terrorism" (random violence). Which definition do you use?

3. CASE 3 — Anton de Kom (1932). Read his biography. How does his form of resistance differ from the first two cases?

No violence but resistance through writing (book, advocacy, organising). Non-violent yet seen as equally threatening by the colony — banished without trial.

4. Statement: "Marronage was more successful than uprisings on the plantation itself." Argue for and against, using at least two primary sources from /en/roots.

Open essay. Expected: Maroons built lasting communities (Saramaka, Ndyuka); uprisings were almost always brutally crushed.

⭐ Follow-up activity

Project: choose one plantation in the Roots Search where violence or escape is documented. Write a 1500-word essay critically assessing the sources (who wrote them, for what purpose?) and offering your own interpretation.