Memory of the World - Latin America and the Caribbean
Route to Freedom: A case study of how enslaved Africans gained their freedom on the dual national island of Sint Maarten (Saint Martin)
Through the Treaty of Concordia the island of Saint Martin is connected to two European powers the Netherlands and France The Dutch side of the island is known as Sint Maarten 16 mi2 and the French side as Saint Martin 21 mi2 During colonialism the enslavement of African peoples was commonly practiced by European colonisers The granting of freedom to those enslaved took place at different times in different European countries These documents illustrate how the enslaved attached to one European power took advantage of the freedom given to the enslaved by another European regimeThe government that came to power after the French revolution freed their enslaved persons on May 28th 1848 Enslavement however remained a fact of life in Sint Maarten until July 1st 1863 The day after the abolition of enslavement in the French territories twentysix persons the entire enslaved population of Diamond Estate Plantation in Sint Maarten fled to the French Plantation Mount Fortune in Saint Martin where they were recognized as free men and women The Dutch Commander Johannes Willem van Romondt wrote the French Commander Sir Munier asking him to return any runaway slaves The French Commander replied that any enslaved person who reached French territory would be considered freeThe documents consist of a series of letters from Johannes Willem van Romondt to the French Commander and to the Governor of Curacao in his function as head of the Dutch West Indies In addition the records include the response from the French Commander as part of the correspondence dating from when slavery was abolished in the French territories in 1848 up to and after slavery ended in the Dutch territories in 1863
Sint Maarten -