Cuffy

Berbice Slave revolts erupts in the Dutch colony of Berbice (modern-day Guyana). In February 1763, a huge uprising rocked Berbice, a Dutch colony on South America's northeast coast that is now part of Guyana. In 1581, the Dutch had colonized the region, setting up sugar plantations and bringing slave labor from Africa. As in many other European colonies outside of the 13 British colonies, the number of slaves in Guyana greatly outnumbered whites. At the time of the 1763 revolt, the population of blacks in the colony was about 10 times greater than that of whites. Known as the Great Rebellion, the revolt in Guyana involved as many as half the slaves in the entire colony. Triggered by the cruel treatment of slaves, the rebellion began on one plantation where slaves killed their overseer and a carpenter and burned down the owner's house. The rebels then marched from plantation to plantation, and at each, unhappy slaves joined the cause. During the rebellion, many whites were killed, and many plantations and fields were burned.The uprising was led by a slave named Cuffy, a cooper(barrel maker) in the colony. Cuffy and his army of slaves eventually overthrew the Dutch government and took control. The rebels managed to stay in power for more than a year before being defeated by European forces. By late March, the slave rebels controlled most of the colony, but they were not able to take the island's largest fort. Eventually, reinforcements arrived and aided by conflict within rebel ranks were able to reestablish control over the colony. About 60 percent of the whites died during the rebellion and almost 40 percent of the slaves. Of the rebels, 128 were executed in various cruel ways designed to dissuade the slaves fro, further revolts. As the rebellion fell apart, Cuffy took his own life to avoid being tortured and executed. Today, he is considered a national hero in Guyana.

Historical Dictionary of Slavery and Abolition By Martin A. Klein and Slave Rebellions by Slavery in the Americas Robin Santos Doak