The Black Jacobins: Toussaint l'Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution

I enjoy reading history books, and it is always good to pick one up and read about the events that shaped mankind's developement. But every once in a long while, one comes across a history book that is so well written and engagin, that it becomes far more than just a book recounting past events, far more than just a book one learns from, and instead becomes an experience, a book to enjoy! This is such a rare book. I purchased it simply to have soemthing to teach me about Toussaint L'Ouverture and Haitian Independence, and instead got a book I could hardly put down. Besides the excellent writing, what makes this book especially wonderful and memorable to read, is that James doesn't just discuss the Haitian Revolt, but goes into details about the French Revolution, and its inner complexity and contradictions. He also touches often upon the more psychological dimensions of the struggle. Now, as others have pointed out, James' Marxism does tint his writing, but never to a degree as to give the impression that one is reading a dishonest or heavily biased account of events. One minor, or perhaps not so minor, limitation of the book is that it does not treat the successful post-L'Ouverture Haitian fight and independence with the same detail as the previous times. I suppose for that one needs to take a look at other books, but nevertheless aside form the final events, all the history is right here covered brilliantly and with great insight. Highly recommended, for anyone interested in Haitian history, as well as just good solid well-written non-fiction books.

Remarkably for a book written in 1938, this amazing volume is as compelling today as it was then. Extremely well-written, passionate, and erudite, C.L.R. James's classic is still the starting point I would recommend for anyone interested in Haitian history. I would also recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about the French Revolution. The narrative reads like a great novel, despite being a well-researched history book. Years before mainstream U.S. or European historians saw Carribbean history as relevant, the West Indian James showed its import for both Western and Global History. First, James shows the utterly heartbreaking treatment the slaves of Saint-Domingue (now Haiti) were subject to. Then he demonstrates the contradictions in Western Revolutionary thought which used emancipatory language but refused to address the issue of colonial slavery. Then the leaders of the slave revolution emerge in his story as true sans-culottes, Jacobins and patriots in their own right; men and women who refuse to let Napoleon reenslave them and forge a nation. Their act of "rebellion", the creation of the first black republic in the Americas and the only successful slave revolt in history, would strike fear into the hearts of slaveowners everywhere. They would pay for taking the heady egalitarian language of the 18th century seriously-in both the 19th century and the 20th and beyond, they would be subject to pay enormous indemnities to Europe for having "taken" the plantations of the whites, be subject to embargos, be forcibly invaded on several occasions, have dictators foisted upon them, and much more. But none of that could take away the fact that their courage, bravery, and love of freedom had earned them their freedom from slavery and that their history deserved to be recorded, admired, and preserved. No one has ever done that more skillfully than C.L.R. James. A truly triumphant story.

though this book provides a mostly top-down analysis which attributes the st domingue revolution mostly to developments in france, it is still a classic. it's a perfect reference point - james employs his knowledge of the west indies to flesh out a brilliant tale. read it alongside carolyn fick's "the making of haiti" and you'll have a perfect perspective of what really went down. this book is part of the holy trinity of books regarding the haitian revolution. all proud haitian-americans should read this to understand the imperfect but perfect revolution.

The Black Jacobins is a timeless classic in both the history and practice of liberation theory.I enjoyed the distinct pleasure of taking undergraduate work with CLR James in the early eighties. His undimmed passion and clarity shaped me deeply. He was quite arguably the greatest unabashed dialectical materialist of the Harlem Renaissance. I heartily recommend that you treat yourself to this,his signature creation.

Just what sort of a man was Toussaint L'ouverture? Was he a violent revolutionary or a Saint? Perhaps the answer lies somewhere between the two. In any event, he was to be the man who would inspire the Haitian Revolution; the only successful revolt of slaves against their colonial rulers. The book masterfully chronicles the history of San Domingo from 1789, to the establishment of an independent Haiti in 1803. It reveals the intrigue practiced by the differing racial groups and the often unlikely alliances they formed in order to gain or maintain power. How France came to lose this jewel in her colonial empire is clearly explained - a defeat brought about not exclusively by force of arms. The book is a must for any reader who desires to know how a man with vision and courage can inspire an unquenchable thirst for liberty in those without hope.