The Black Jacobins Summary

The Black Jacobins is the story of the only successful slave revolt in history: The Haitian Revolution, led by Toussaint L’Overture. Self-emancipated slaves joined L’Overture’s revolutionary army and defeated three major empires of the eighteenth century: Spain, England and France. It was because of their determination; independence was obtained after ten solid years of struggle in 1804. Until this course, knowledge of the Haitian Revolution was unfamiliar for myself while there are plentiful tomes on other revolutions such as the French Revolution or the American Revolution. While this book highlights the fact that fundamental change comes from social revolution, the Haitian Revolution did not get the recognition it merits. To provide a comprehensive

The author argues throughout the book that none of the wars for independence were victorious, yet it was the people who were triumphant. “But neither Dessalines' army nor his ferocity won victory. It was the people. They burned San Domingo flat so that at the end of the war it was a charred desert.” James’ argument regarding the burning is that the people “have a right to burn what they cultivate because a man has a right to dispose of his own labour.” While the book begins with an in-depth description of life as a salve, James uses violence to describe the war of independence towards the end of the book. James establishes the will power of the people who refused to be slaves and treated inhumanely. Their determination to fight for independence until their death is what granted them freedom. James revisits his leading argument that people who organize together for a mutual goal, succeed in their aspirations. Therefore, it is my opinion that James used the theme of independence to elucidate his main argument that the ability to shape political outcomes lie within the capacity of individual actors. James writes of brutality and violence towards the masters as though it is conventional and required to be successful in the struggle for