Prince Klaas
Prince Klaas, also known as King Court, Tackey, or by his African name, Kwaku, was an Antiguan slave, who was a posthumous recipient of the Most Exalted Order of the National Hero.[2]
Prince Klaas | |
|---|---|
Kwaku | |
 | |
| Born | Kwaku c. 1694 |
| Died | Early November 1736 (celebrated on October 22nd) |
| Cause of death | Execution |
| Monuments | Prince Klaas Statue |
| Nationality | Antiguan |
| Other names | King Court, King Tackey |
| Education | Unknown, but was a talented reader |
| Occupation | Head slave |
| Known for | Plot to overthrow the white colonizers in Antigua |
| Criminal charges | Treason |
| Criminal penalty | Lashing to the wheel[1] |
| Criminal status | Executed |
| Honours | Most Exalted Order of the National Hero, posthumously in 2000 |
Klaas is notable for leading a foiled slave revolt plan to overthrow the colonial white government, and create an African-ruled independent Kingdom of Antigua.[3][4][5]
Early life
At the age of 10, in 1704, Klaas, who was then known as Kwaku, was captured from the Ashante in the Gold Coast, which is now present-day Ghana. He was captured during the Eguafo Civil War, which was the result of the death of King Takyi Kuma, which served as an advantage for British and Danish slave traders who captured as many people as possible, and sold them off.[4]
Kwaku was "owned" by the slave owner Thomas Kerby, who was Justice of the Peace and Speaker of the Assembly, Kwaku lived in St. John's, and was the "head slave".[5]
Coronation and Kingdom of Antigua rebellion plan
Coronation
At one of the planning meetings, with an Akan ceremony, Klass was crowned King of the Black Antiguans.[4] The white Antiguan slave owners considered this an "innocent ceremony", but according to Western African customs, was really a declaration of war.[5]
Kingdom of Antigua rebellion plan
The plan for the Kingdom of Antigua was originally devised in 1728, in which all Europeans would be executed.[5][3] The plan took 8 years to prepare,[5] and in 1736 was ready to be carried out.[4]
In late October 1736, during a grand ball in honor of King George II, a 10-gallon barrel of gunpowder would be smuggled into the building, and would be blown up, intended to kill every European at the event. The noise from the explosion would be an alert sound for the allied enslaved Africans to begin every white person in sight, which would start a massacre, and establish Prince Klaas as the King of Antigua.[4]
10 major plantations were involved in the plan.[4] If successful, Antigua would have been the first African-ruled country in the Western Hemisphere.
Foiling of the plot and execution
Along with 132 other people, Klaas was convicted of being involved in the plot, after the report of an anonymous slave.[3]
5 of these people, including Klaas were broken on the wheel, the remaining 88 people who were executed were either gibbeted (6 of them), or burned at the stake (77 of them).[3][5]
He was killed at the age of 45.
Legacy
There is now a Prince Klaas Statue in St. John's, as well as an exhibit at the nearby National Museum of Antigua and Barbuda.
In 2000, Klaas was posthumously awarded the Most Exalted Order of the National Hero.[2]
References
- https://antiguanewsroom.com/the-horrifying-execution-of-prince-klaas-the-slave-from-ghana-who-planned-to-make-antigua-an-african-state/
- "You are being redirected..." www.antiguanice.com. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
- KESSE (2020-04-14). "Prince Klaas, the Ghanaian rebel slave in Antigua". Ghanaian Museum. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
- "The horrifying execution of Prince Klaas, the slave from Ghana who planned to make Antigua an African state". Antigua News Room. 2018-11-04. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
- "The Brutal Execution Of Prince Klaas The Enslaved Ghanaian Who Planned To Make Antigua An African State | Liberty Writers Global". 2021-11-14. Retrieved 2022-12-18.