Marjoleine Kars

A Chronicle of Mutiny and Freedom on the Wild Coast

Blood on the River

Op zondag 27 februari 1763 kwamen duizenden tot slaaf gemaakten in de Nederlandse kolonie Berbice (het hedendaagse Guyana, naast Suriname) in opstand tegen hun overheersers en de verschrikkelijke omstandigheden waarin ze leefden. Deze revolutionairen zouden een vol jaar standhouden en hun overwinning was bijzonder dichtbij. Uiteindelijk wisten de Nederlanders de opstand neer te slaan met hulp van soldaten uit bevriende buurkolonies en Europa. 'Bloed in de rivier' vertelt het onbekende verhaal van de gebeurtenissen in 1763. Slavernijhistoricus Marjoleine Kars baseert zich op een unieke bron: de ruim 900 transcripties van de ondervragingen van slaafgemaakten die plaatsvonden nadat de Nederlanders de macht weer in handen hadden. Zo schetst ze een zeldzaam levendig, leesbaar en spannend beeld van de dagelijkse gebeurtenissen tijdens de opstand en de mensen die er een rol in speelden. 'Bloed in de rivier' is een belangrijke verrijking van onze kennis van het Nederlandse koloniale verleden, van slavernij en de strijd om vrijheid.

Bloed in de rivier. Het onbekende verhaal van de massale slavenopstand in een Nederlandse kolonie

Settlers and farmers in Piedmont North Carolina stage a revolution against their local British government, prompted in large part by the religious thought spurred by the Great Awakening and their populist agrarian tendencies.

The Regulator Rebellion in Pre-revolutionary North Carolina

Breaking Loose Together

Winner of the 2021 Cundill History Prize Winner of the 2021 Frederick Douglass Prize 'A richly detailed account of a gripping human story' Washington Post '[An] epic history ... a sweeping, thoughtful narrative' Los Angeles Times On February 27, 1763, thousands of slaves in the Dutch colony of Berbice (in present-day Guyana) launched a massive rebellion. Surrounded by jungle and savannah, the revolutionaries fought for an entire year... and came very close to succeeding. In Blood on the River, historian Marjoleine Kars reconstructs a rich day-to-day account of this pivotal event - drawing on over nine hundred interrogation transcripts and other documents collected by the Dutch when the rebellion finally collapsed, and which were subsequently buried in archives. An astonishing original work of history, Blood on the River provides a rare in-depth look at the political vision of enslaved people at the dawn of the Age of Revolution - and is an extraordinary new contribution to our understanding of revolutions, slavery, and of the story of freedom in the New World.

Winner of the Cundill History Prize Winner of the Frederick Douglass Book Prize Named One of the Best Books of the Year by NPR A breathtakingly original work of history that uncovers a massive enslaved persons' revolt that almost changed the face of the Americas On Sunday, February 27, 1763, thousands of slaves in the Dutch colony of Berbice—in present-day Guyana—launched a massive rebellion which came amazingly close to succeeding. Surrounded by jungle and savannah, the revolutionaries (many of them African-born) and Europeans struck and parried for an entire year. In the end, the Dutch prevailed because of one unique advantage—their ability to get soldiers and supplies from neighboring colonies and from Europe. Blood on the River is the explosive story of this little-known revolution, one that almost changed the face of the Americas. Drawing on nine hundred interrogation transcripts collected by the Dutch when the Berbice rebellion finally collapsed, and which were subsequently buried in Dutch archives, historian Marjoleine Kars reconstructs an extraordinarily rich day-by-day account of this pivotal event. Blood on the River provides a rare in-depth look at the political vision of enslaved people at the dawn of the Age of Revolution and introduces us to a set of real characters, vividly drawn against the exotic tableau of a riverine world of plantations, rainforest, and Carib allies who controlled a vast South American hinterland. An astonishing original work of history, Blood on the River will change our understanding of revolutions, slavery, and of the story of freedom in the New World.

Marjoleine Kars

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