Slave Revolution in the Caribbean, 1789-1804: A Brief History with Documents (Bedford Series in History & Culture) [Paperback]

Laurent Dubois (Author), John D. Garrigus (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 22, 2006 | ISBN-10: 031241501X | ISBN-13: 978-0312415013 | Edition: First Edition

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'This is the most succinct, convenient and accurate history of the Haitian Revolution currently available. It fills a significant gap in the historiography between monographs and general histories on one side and novels and creative literature on the other. The authors have produced an intelligent and highly useful collection of documents, many virtually inaccessible, and conveniently translated them for the English-speaking audience. Their ability to contextualize the events of the revolution briefly is simply exemplary.' - Franklin Knight, Johns Hopkins University, USA 'This is the most amazing document collection I have ever read. It is emotionally gripping, intellectually stimulating, morally provocative, action-packed and full of points of comparison to histories of slavery and freedom everywhere. It has a terrific narrative flow and inherent pathos...This is a wonderful achievement for which all sorts of teachers will be most grateful.' - Evan Haefeli, Tufts University, USA 'This is the most succinct, convenient and accurate history of the Haitian Revolution currently available. It fills a significant gap in the historiography between monographs and general histories on one side and novels and creative literature on the other. The authors have produced an intelligent and highly useful collection of documents, many virtually inaccessible, and conveniently translated them for the English-speaking audience. Their ability to contextualize the events of the revolution briefly is simply exemplary.' - Franklin Knight, Johns Hopkins University, USA 'This is the most amazing document collection I have ever read. It is emotionally gripping, intellectually stimulating, morally provocative, action-packed and full of points of comparison to histories of slavery and freedom everywhere. It has a terrific narrative flow and inherent pathos...his is a wonderful achievement for which all sorts of teachers will be most grateful.' - Evan Haefeli, Tufts University, USA

About the Author

LAURENT DUBOIS (Ph.D., 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 (2004) 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 (2004), which was a Christian Science Monitor Noteworthy Book of 2004 and a Los Angeles Times Best Book of 2004, and Les esclaves de la République: l'histoire oubliée de la première emancipation, 1787-1794 (1998).

JOHN D. GARRIGUS (Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University) is professor of history at Jacksonville University in Florida, where he teaches courses on American, Caribbean, Latin American, and European history. A former Chateaubriand Fellow and Fulbright Scholar, he has published on pre-revolutionary Haiti in Americas, French Historical Studies, Slavery & Abolition, and the Journal of Caribbean History. He is currently working on a book on Saint-Domingue's free people of color.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's; First Edition edition (February 22, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031241501X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312415013
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #133,905 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #14 in Books > History > Americas > Caribbean & West Indies > Haiti
  • #75 in Books > History > Historical Study > Revolutionary

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, October 20, 2007

By 

V. Sellers (ATLANTA, GA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Slave Revolution in the Caribbean, 1789-1804: A Brief History with Documents (Bedford Series in History & Culture) (Paperback)

I could not be helped but be moved by the documents in this book. The author did an incredible job of helping the reader understand the importance of San Domingue and the other French colonies by including letters, articles and transcripts. This was so important to my research about the nation that would eventually become Haiti and other colonies that found themselves in similar circumstances. These accounts tell the real truth about life in the French colonies and the resolve of the inhabitants.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best reader on the Haitian Revolution, October 1, 2010

By 

Haiti lover (Louisiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Slave Revolution in the Caribbean, 1789-1804: A Brief History with Documents (Bedford Series in History & Culture) (Paperback)

A great reader on the Haitian Revolution. It is cheap, short, and has a great summary of the revolution at the beginning, so it is perfect as a supplementary reading in classes on slavery, Atlantic History, Haitian history, etc.

The documents are well chosen and representative. John Garrigus is a thorough researcher, and it shows: the documents are taken straight from the French archives.

4 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars College Coursework, June 10, 2009

By 

Jessica A. May - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Slave Revolution in the Caribbean, 1789-1804: A Brief History with Documents (Bedford Series in History & Culture) (Paperback)

I purchased this book for college coursework in a core history class. We were assigned a paper on the book. Other people in my class did some outside research, but there was enough information between the text and all the source documents that I didn't find outside sources necessary.