History of French Guiana facts for kids
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The history of French Guiana tells the story of this land. It goes back long before Europeans arrived. Before that time, there was no written history. Many Native American groups lived there. These included the Kalina, Arawak, Galibi, Palikur, Teko, Wayampi, and Wayana peoples. The first Europeans came with Christopher Columbus around the year 1500.
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Early European Visits
Some stories say that Christopher Columbus visited French Guiana in 1498. He supposedly called the coast the "Land of Pariahs." However, Columbus actually sailed to the coast of Venezuela from Trinidad. He named that coastline "Ysla Sancta." From his ship, the distant land looked like an island. The name "Land of Pariahs" actually comes from the Gulf of Paria. This is the water near the lands Columbus discovered.
In 1608, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany tried to start an Italian colony here. They wanted to trade goods from the Amazon. But the ruler, Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, died suddenly. This stopped the plan.
In 1624, the French tried to settle in the area. But the Portuguese saw this as breaking the Treaty of Tordesillas. They forced the French to leave. French settlers came back in 1630. By 1643, they built a settlement at Cayenne. They also started some small farms. But Native American attacks made them leave again.
In 1658, the Dutch West Indies Company took over the French land. They started their own colony called Dutch Cayenne. The French returned in 1664. They founded a new settlement at Sinnamary. The Dutch attacked this new place in 1665.
In 1667, the English took control of the area. But after the Treaty of Breda in July 1667, it was given back to France. The Dutch briefly took it again in 1676.
French Control Becomes Stronger
After the Treaty of Paris in 1763, France lost most of its lands in the Americas. Only Guiana and a few islands remained. King Louis XV of France sent thousands of settlers to Guiana. They were told stories of lots of gold and easy riches. But instead, they found a land with unfriendly native people and many tropical diseases.
After a year and a half, only a few hundred settlers were left alive. They escaped to three small islands off the coast. They named them the Iles de Salut (Islands of Salvation). The biggest island was Royal Island. Another was St. Joseph. The smallest island, surrounded by strong currents, was Devil's Island. When the few survivors returned to France, their terrible stories made a lasting bad impression.
In 1776, Pierre-Victor Malouet was put in charge of the colony. He brought in Jean Samuel Guisan to help start farming. This good period ended in 1792 during the French Revolution. A prison for priests and political enemies opened in Sinnamary. This was the start of prisons in the colony.
During the French Revolution, the government decided to end the slave trade. They also ended slavery in France's colonies in February 1794. This happened months after enslaved people in Saint-Domingue (now Haiti) started a rebellion. But the 1794 law was only put into action in Saint-Domingue, Guadeloupe, and French Guiana. Other colonies like Martinique did not follow these laws.
In 1794, after Maximilien Robespierre was executed, 193 of his followers were sent to French Guiana. In 1797, a general named Jean-Charles Pichegru and many others were also sent there. When they arrived, only 54 of the 193 people sent three years earlier were still alive. Eleven had escaped, and the rest had died from tropical diseases. Pichegru managed to escape to the United States. He later returned to France but was executed for planning against Napoleon.
Later, enslaved people were brought from Africa. Farms were set up along the rivers where there were fewer diseases. Exports like sugar, wood, Cayenne pepper, and other spices brought some wealth to the colony for the first time. Cayenne, the capital city, was surrounded by large farms. Some of these farms had thousands of enslaved people.
The 1800s and the Penal Colony Era
In 1809, a British and Portuguese navy group took French Guiana. They removed Governor Victor Hugues. They gave the land to the Portuguese in Brazil. But in 1814, the Treaty of Paris gave the region back to the French. However, some Portuguese stayed until 1817.
In 1848, France ended slavery. The formerly enslaved people went into the rainforest. They created communities similar to their homes in Africa. These people were called Maroons. They formed a kind of safe area between the Europeans (who lived near the coast) and the Native American tribes inland. Without enslaved labor, the farms were soon taken over by the jungle. The farm owners lost everything.
In 1850, ships brought workers from India, Malaysia, and China. They were meant to work on the farms. But instead, they opened shops in Cayenne and other towns.
In 1852, the first ships carrying prisoners arrived from France. In 1885, the French Parliament passed a law. It said that anyone who had been sentenced more than three times for theft would be sent to French Guiana. These people were called relégués. They would be kept in prison for six months. Then they would be freed to become settlers in the colony. But this plan failed badly. The former prisoners could not make a living from the land. They were forced to commit crimes again or live in poverty until they died. Being sent to French Guiana as a relégué usually meant a short life sentence. Most died quickly from disease and hunger.
Prisoners arrived at St Laurent du Maroni. From there, they were sent to different camps. The Iles du Salut were used for political prisoners and for solitary confinement. These islands became known for their harsh conditions. Devil's Island was especially famous for its brutality. Famous people sent there included Alfred Dreyfus (in 1895) and Henri Charrière (in the 1930s). Charrière escaped and later wrote a popular book called Papillon.
In 1853, gold was found inland. This led to arguments over borders with Brazil and Surinam. These disputes were settled later in 1891, 1899, and 1915. However, a small part of the border with Suriname is still debated. A small independent republic called "Counani" was created in the disputed area. This was in the late 1800s.
The 20th Century
The territory of Inini was created in 1930. It covered most of the inland part of French Guiana. It was ended in 1946.
During World War II, the local government supported the Vichy government in France. But many people supported Charles de Gaulle. The Vichy government in French Guiana was removed on March 22, 1943.
French Guiana became an overseas department of France on March 19, 1946.
The famous penal colonies, including Devil's Island, were slowly closed. They were officially shut down in 1951. At first, only prisoners who could pay for a ticket back to France could go home. So, many former prisoners lived aimless lives in the colony after the prisons closed.
Visitors in 1954 were shocked by the conditions. They heard constant screams from a cell block still used for prisoners who had gone insane. This block had only tiny air holes near the roof. Food was pushed in, and bodies were removed once a day.
In 1961, Brazilian president Jânio Quadros planned to take over French Guiana. But he resigned before he could do it.
In 1964, Kourou was chosen as a rocket launch site. It was picked because it is close to the equator. The Guiana Space Centre was built and started working in 1968. This center has created some local jobs. The foreign technicians and soldiers stationed there also bring some money to the local economy.
The 1970s saw Hmong refugees from Laos settle in towns like Javouhey and Cacao. The Green Plan of 1976 aimed to improve farming, but it had limited success. A movement for more self-rule from France grew in the 1970s and 1980s. The Parti Socialiste Guyanais also became more successful.
People calling for more self-rule have protested more loudly. Protests in 1996, 1997, and 2000 all ended with violence. Many people in French Guiana want more self-rule. But few support complete independence.
The 21st Century
In a vote in 2010, people in French Guiana voted against having more self-rule.
On March 20, 2017, people in French Guiana went on strike. They protested for more resources and better infrastructure. On March 28, 2017, the largest protest ever held in French Guiana took place.
The first woman elected to the Senate from French Guiana was Marie-Laure Phinéra-Horth in 2020.
See also
In Spanish: Historia de la Guayana Francesa para niños
