The Chain is Broken: Emancipation Day and Dutch and Danish Colonial Legacies

Send us a text message and tell us your thoughts.

Freedom wasn't granted—it was seized through blood, sweat, and unwavering resistance. Across the Dutch and Danish Caribbean colonies, enslaved Africans fought against brutal systems of oppression that are often overshadowed in mainstream historical narratives focused on British, Spanish, and French colonial powers.

When thousands gathered in St. Croix on July 2nd, 1848, led by freedom fighter General Buddhoe (Moses Gottlieb), they weren't asking politely for their liberation. They threatened to burn Frederiksted to the ground, forcing the Danish governor to declare immediate emancipation. This powerful act of collective resistance is why July 3rd remains sacred in the U.S. Virgin Islands, commemorated through Freedom Week celebrations that honor ancestral sacrifice and triumph.

Meanwhile, in the Dutch Caribbean territories like Suriname, Curaçao, and Aruba, emancipation arrived decades later in 1863—and even then with the cruel stipulation that the formerly enslaved would be required to work an additional decade on the plantations where they had suffered. This delayed freedom, finally realized in 1873, is now celebrated as "Keti Koti" (the chain is broken), a powerful testament to resilience against Dutch colonial brutality. 

The colonial footprints of the Netherlands and Denmark—alongside brief periods of Swedish and Portuguese occupation—remain etched in Caribbean legal systems, languages, demographics, and collective consciousness. By amplifying these overlooked histories, we honor the full spectrum of Caribbean resistance and recognize that every Emancipation Day represents a hard-won victory by those who refused to accept bondage as their fate. Our ancestors' struggle for dignity continues to illuminate our path forward.

Support the show

Connect with Strictly Facts - Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube | Website

Looking to read more about the topics covered in this episode? Subscribe to the newsletter at www.strictlyfactspod.com to get the Strictly Facts Syllabus to your email!

Want to Support Strictly Facts?

• Rate & Leave a Review on your favorite platform
• Share this episode with someone or online and tag us
• Send us a DM or voice note to have your thoughts featured on an upcoming episode
• Donate to help us continue empowering listeners with Caribbean history and education

Produced by Breadfruit Media

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Strictly Facts, a guide to Caribbean
history and culture, hosted byme, alexandria Miller.
Strictly Facts teaches thehistory, politics and activism
of the Caribbean and connectsthese themes to contemporary
music and popular culture.
Hello everyone, and welcomeback to Strictly Facts, a guide

(00:23):
to Caribbean history and culture.
Hello everyone and welcome backto Striggly Facts, a guide to
Caribbean history and culture.
I'm your host, alexandria, andI am so glad you're tuning in to
another episode where we upliftthe voices, victories and
histories of Caribbean people.
First things first.
I want to wish a very special,happy, belated Emancipation Day
to our listeners in the DutchCaribbean, the US Virgin Islands
and their diasporas, whetheryou're from St Martin, curacao,

(00:47):
aruba, bonaire, sabah, stEustatius, suriname or the USVI.
This episode isa tribute to you.
Today we're diving into theoften overlooked colonial
legacies of the Netherlands andDenmark in the Caribbean and the
hard-won freedom of enslavedAfricans who endured and
resisted their rule.
When we talk about Caribbeancolonization, we often start

(01:10):
with the British, spanish, theFrench and even the US, and
that's fair.
These powers claimed vastportions of the region and left
major economic, political andeven linguistic imprints.
But they weren't alone.
The Netherlands and Denmarkwere also deeply involved in
this brutal system oftransatlantic slavery and in

(01:32):
fact the Dutch West IndiaCompany was one of the earliest
institutions organizing aroundthe Atlantic slave trade.
By the 1600s, the Dutch hadalready begun occupying several
Caribbean islands, and theyquickly became major players in
trafficking and the forcedenslavement of Black people.
Denmark, though smaller incomparison, held colonies in

(01:56):
what is now the US VirginIslands from the 17th century
until 1917, when the UnitedStates purchased them.
Like the other colonies in theregion, both the Dutch and
Danish Caribbean wereestablished as plantation
societies producing crops likesugar through forced labor.
In the early 1800s, denmark hadoutlawed the slave trade, but

(02:20):
not slavery itself.
Slavery remained the brutalengine of the colony's economy,
and resistance among theenslaved grew steadily over the
decades.
The turning point came on thenight of July 2nd 1848, when
thousands of enslaved people inSt Croix, led by laborer and
freedom fighter General Bordeaux, otherwise known as Moses

(02:42):
Gottlieb, gathered andthreatened to burn the city of
Frederiksted down ifemancipation was not declared On
July 3rd.
The following day, faced withthis massive uprising, governor
Peter von Schlotten made thisdeclaration, and I quote All
unfree in the Danish West Indiesare from today emancipated.
It was not really a moraldecision, but a political one,

(03:06):
and it was strategic in manyways.
Denmark's government hadn't yetsanctioned emancipation, but
this uprising forced their hand.
To this day, july 3rd iscommemorated as Emancipation Day
in the US Virgin Islands andremains a powerful symbol of
rebellion, resistance andfreedom.
Commemorations often include afull week of events for what is

(03:28):
known as Freedom Week, whenconcerts and speeches honoring
the ancestors and freedomfighters who made emancipation
possible are held.
Meanwhile, in the Dutch colonies, enslaved Africans endured
similar horrors.
Emancipation in the DutchCaribbean didn't come until July
1st 1863, 15 years after theDanish West Indies and almost 30

(03:52):
years after the British.
And even then emancipation camewith a cruel condition.
The enslaved were required towork for an additional 10 years
on the very plantations thatthey were enslaved on, as the
Dutch thought this was a loss tothe plantation owners.
It was slavery by another nameand to an extent followed the

(04:14):
post-emancipation transitionaryloopholes that many other
colonies did, likeapprenticeship in the British
Caribbean and even sharecroppingand other similar practices in
the US.
Full freedom wasn't fullyrecognized until 1873.
July 1st is now recognized asEmancipation Day throughout the

(04:36):
Dutch Caribbean.
In Suriname, for example, it'scelebrated as Ketakoti, meaning
the chain is broken.
The day is marked similarly,with a festival of
commemorations and culturalperformances that honor both the
pain of enslavement and the joyof freedom.
And before we wrap up as alwaysas we do here at Strictly Facts,

(04:58):
we want to highlight the powerof music as memory on our songs,
whether they are centuries oldor newly released, that help us
preserve and celebrate ourstories.
From the USVI, a powerful folksong known as a carrizo, known
as Clear the Road, commemoratesthe events of 1848.

(05:18):
The lyrics call for theclearing of the road so they can
meet General Bardot, becausehe's going to give them their
freedom.
In 1957, the song was givingnew life by Marie Richards, a
beloved local singer originallyfrom St Martin, who was also a
folklorist.
She recorded an entire album oflocal Carrizo and other folk

(05:41):
songs.
Her rendition of Clear the Roadreasserted the significance of
oral history in shaping how weunderstand emancipation, not
just as a moment of the past,but as a community memory passed
on in rhythm and verse.
Furthermore, in 2019, surinamesesinger-songwriter Jengu McCroy

(06:02):
released the song Gold.
It's a modern anthem that paystribute to the Ketakoti holiday
and is a declaration of pride inthe sacrifices of our ancestors
.
Together, clear the Road andGold show us how music bridges
generations, how our ancestors'cries for freedom continue to
echo in lyrics.

(06:22):
They remind us thatemancipation is not just a date
but a living, breathingtradition, and I encourage you
all to listen closely, as theyare also archives of our
struggle and anthems of our joy.
These commemorations seen inEmancipation Day remind us that
there is one crucial truthColonialism, whether that be

(06:45):
just by the British, by Spanishor the French, but also from the
Dutch, the Danish and even, ata briefer period, the Portuguese
in the Caribbean, as well asthe Swedish.
They all laid claims to piecesof our region and their legacies
are still with us in our legalsystems, our languages, our
demographics and our collectivememory.

(07:07):
For instance, sweden oncecolonized Saint Bartholomew for
nearly a century, until 1878,when they traded the island to
France.
These histories are too oftenignored in mainstream Caribbean
discussions and things that westill need to continue to impart
today.
So, as we reflect onEmancipation Day in the Dutch

(07:31):
Caribbean and in the US VirginIslands, we must center the full
story.
Freedom was fought for and wonby our ancestors, often in the
face of neglect or outrightresistance by colonial
authorities, and we honor themtoday by telling the story of
all of our Emancipation Days.
Emancipation Day, may weremember that the chains were

(07:52):
broken, the ancestors whoresisted, and the legacy of
struggle that has made ourpresent possible continues.
And to everyone else across theCaribbean and diaspora, may we

(08:14):
also celebrate and continue tolearn about all of our
collective struggles, becausethere is strength in unity.
Thank you again, as always, fortuning in to Strictly Facts.
If you enjoyed this episode, besure to follow, share and check
out our show notes and StrictlyFacts syllabus online for links
to further readings onemancipation in the Dutch and

(08:34):
Danish Caribbean.
Until next time, remember ourhistories are our strength.
Likkle more.
Until next time.
Remember our histories are ourstrength.
Little more.
Thanks for tuning in toStrictly Facts.
Visit strictlyfactspodcastcomfor more information from each
episode.
Follow us at Strictly Facts Podon Instagram and Facebook and

(08:58):
at Strictly Facts PD on Twitter.