The Colonial Walk
5. Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius, Saba
(Sint Maartenpad)
In 2001, Amersfoort’s municipal council decided to name three paths at Berg-Zuid after the three small Windward Caribbean Islands which still form part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands: Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius and Saba. These three islands, which are located to the west of Puerto Rico, fell into Dutch hands in the first half of the seventeenth century. They were important for privateering, the slave trade and smuggling in the 17th and 18th centuries. Sint Eustatius served as a ‘neutral’ port and did particularly well during the American war of independence (1775-1783). However, the island paid a high price for supporting the Americans.
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The British conquered Sint Eustatius in the fourth English war (1780-1784). In the nineteenth century, these colonies had become an inconvenience for the Netherlands and no further investments were made. They only really served to support the Netherlands’ reputation as a colonial power and any rebellion among slaves could not be tolerated for this reason alone. In 1848, an uprising on Sint Maarten was defeated, however it cost the lives of between 4 and 12 people and 6 others were wounded. Slavery on the islands was only abolished in 1863.
