Peter N. Herndon
Carpentier, Alejo,
The Kingdom of This World
. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1957.
Captivating historical novel set in Haiti, with vivid descriptions of the slave revolts of Macandl and Bouckman, which students should find fascinating.
Comitas, Lambro and David Lowenthal, eds.,
Slaves, Free Men, Citizens: West Indian Perspectives
. Garden City, New York: Anchor Press, 1973.
This book examines the conflicts and shaping forces of multiracial societies, using eighteenth and nineteenthcentury Latin America as its focal point. Particularly helpful are the articles on freed blacks and Mulattoes; several are firstperson articles, and bring out gutfeeling attitudes of blacks and whites.
Foner, Laura and Eugene D. Genovese, eds.,
Slavery in the New World
. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: PrenticeHall, Inc., 1969.
A collection of enlightening readings on West Indian Slave Laws, the Sugar Plantation Labor System in Jamaica, and comparisons of slave treatment in different countries in Latin America. Good bibliography by geographical areas.
Genovese, Eugene D.,
From Rebellion to Revolution
. AfroAmerican Slave Revolts in the Making of the Modern World. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1979.
A helpful general work on the subject of slave revolts.
Goveia, Elsa V.,
Slave Societies in the British Leeward Islands at the End of the 18th Century
. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965.
A wellwritten welldocumented volume, including an excellent chapter on British slave laws and their enforcement in the British Islands.
James, C.L.R.,
The Black Jacobins. Toussaint L’Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution.
New York: Vintage Books, 1963.
A remarkably dramatic and detailed account of the events and causes of the Haitian revolution. A Marxist, obviously an admirer of Toussaint, the author skillfully paints an heroic picture of the “Black Consul,” while clarifying many of the complex social and political events of the revolution.
Montejo, Esteban,
The Autobiography of a Runaway Slave
, edited by Miguel Barnet. New York: Pantheon Books, 1968.
Divided into three sections, “Slavery”, “Abolition”, and “The War of Independence,” this remarkable firstperson account of Cuban slavery is chockfull of countryside anecdotes, amusing stories, and graphic battle scenes. Recommended student reading.
Pescatello, Ann, ed.,
The African in Latin America
. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1975.
A valuable general collection of articles. Of particular interest is “Autobiography of a TeenAge Slave”, which describes the life of favored slave, religious instruction and the workings of self-purchase (coartacion) in Cuba.
Price, Richard,
The Guiana Maroons
.
An Historical and Biblio
g
raphical Introduction
. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1976.
Over 100 pages of helpful bibliography.
Price, Richard, ed.,
Maroon Societies: Rebel Slave Communities in the Americas
. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1979.
The authoritative work on the subject of runaways in the French, Spanish, English and Dutch colonies. Rich in statistics and bibliographical assistance.
Rout, Leslie B., Jr.,
The African Experience in Spanish America. 1502 to the Present Day
. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1976.
Useful statistical charts on slave rebellions and resistance; good analysis of Spanish policy toward slave uprisings. Of limited use, but helpful.
Ruben, Vera and Arthur Tuden, eds.,
Com
p
arative Perspectives on
Slavery in New World Plantation Societies. New York: New York Academy of Sciences, 1977.
An encyclopedia of helpful articles with over 100 pages of information on slave revolts, resistance and maroonage, in Haiti and Jamaica.
Tyson, George F, Jr., ed.,
Toussaint L’Ouverture
. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: PrenticeHall, Inc., 1973.
Following an excellent introduction, the editor has assembled valuable letters, declarations and decrees penned by Toussaint. Following sections include evaluations of Toussaint by domestic and foreign contemporaries; as well as nineteenth and twentieth-century politicians and historians.