Slave Revolution in the Caribbean, 1789-1804: A Brief History with Documents

by Laurent Dubois, John D. Garrigus

This volume details the first slave rebellion to have a successful outcome, leading to the establishment of Haiti as a free black republic and paving the way for the emancipation of slaves in the rest of the French Empire and the world. Incited by the French Revolution, the enslaved inhabitants of the French Caribbean began a series of revolts, and in 1791 plantation workers in Haiti, then known as Saint-Domingue, overwhelmed their planter owners and began to take control of the island. They achieved emancipation in 1794, and after successfully opposing Napoleonic forces eight years later, emerged as part of an independent nation in 1804. A broad selection of documents, all newly translated by the authors, is contextualized by a thorough introduction considering the very latest scholarship. Laurent Dubois and John D. Garrigus clarify for students the complex political, economic, and racial issues surrounding the revolution and its reverberations worldwide. Useful pedagogical tools include maps, illustrations, a chronology, and a selected bibliography.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, High School, World History, Textbooks, American History, France

224 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2006

About the author

Laurent Dubois (PhD. University of Michigan) is associate professor of history at Michigan State University. His book A Colony of Citizens: Revolution and Slave Emancipation in the French Caribbean, 1787–1804 won the American Historical Association Prize in Atlantic History and the John Edwin Fagg Award. He is also the author of Avengers of the New World: The Story of the Haitian Revolution, which was a Christian Science Monitor Noteworthy Book of 2004 and a Los Angeles Times Best Book of 2004, Les esclaves de la République: l'histoire oubliée de la première emancipation, 1787–1794, and Haiti: The Aftershocks of History.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/lauren...

Reviews

[Zelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Provides a really solid narrative through the use of documents. Many history books sort of tell you what's what and expect you to believe the truth, but this one just gives you bits and pieces from the people that experienced it and wants you to put together the puzzle. Makes for a richer, personal, and more nuanced understanding of a really interesting event in history.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely informative and helpful in understanding some of the lead-up to the Civil War. also sheds more light on the division between higher=class "people of color" and blacks. Encourages me to read more about the history of the Caribbean.

[Tyler Amick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well-written history presented with translated primary sources. Note that a significant chunk of the book is just a compilation of the latter.

[Tay Gibs · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25/5

The page breaks were rough. Excellent academic source though.