Americas : The Black Jacobins Toussaint L'Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution
Slave Revolution in the Caribbean, 1789-1804: A Brief History with Documents (The Bedford Series in History and Culture) | 
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Manufacturer: Vintage
Release Date: 1989-10-23
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- ISBN13: 9780679724674
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 Racial Revolutionary Politics at Their Best
C.L.R. James has presented a fascinating read. The detail with which he portrays the slave society of St Domingue before the French Revolution enables the reader to envision and almost become one with the scene in all of its horrific gore and misery, where not even the slave owners desired to remain. When it comes to the beginning of the revolts on the island in 1791, the author, although highly sympathetic to the black slaves, is fair in his evaluation of the leaders, supporting but not overly glorifying men like Christophe, Moïse, and Dessalines. Perhaps the most valuable and interesting parts of his coverage up until the late Directory period in France is his treatment of the Parisian sans-culottes and the Terror, the relation of French political developments to the revolts on the island, his arguments justifying revolutionary violence, and the honest evaluation of the abolitionist movements in both France and England, which tended to be for very gradual steps to eliminate slavery, and especially in the latter country tended to be more politically popular for economic rather than humanitarian reasons. But if slavery was found to be profitable, which is seemed to be solely in St. Domingue, then slavery could be accepted, which the author points out was the British policy when they attempted to invade the island during this period.
However, despite being very well written and engaging, the book had some set-backs that prohibit me from as enthusiastically embracing it. First of all, the sources cited are sparse and sometimes singular books are made to act as the basis of too large of sections. For instance, the first two chapters, describing the background of the lives of both the slaves and slave owners in society, rely almost singularly on Pierre de Vassière's Saint-Domingue, and throughout the entire book, his fall-back reference is Pamphile de Lacroix's Mémoires. Numerous quotes also lack any form of citation, as do a few rather large claims. On page 269 he writes, "Bonaparte hated black people;" however, his singular evidence is the antagonism between Napoleon and General Dumas, which the author ascribes to racial hatred. There a few problems with this: (1) Dumas also disliked Napoleon, (2) The author specifically described in his previous chapters the intricacies of racial views, and by claiming that Napoleon's opposition to this mulatto general transfers to the blacks would defy the author's own description, and (3) He provides absolutely no evidence as to why this dislike was based on race rather than on personality, especially since this feeling was mutual between the two. This is a weak defense for his needless slander of Napoleon, since by the end of that very same paragraph he writes, "Yet Bonaparte was no colonist, and his anti-Negro bias was far from influencing his major policies." (pg. 270) Another large claim is that Napoleon himself aimed at restoring slavery. There is zero evidence of this. The best evidence is the Decree of 20 May 1802, whereby in the colonies where slavery was not abolished in 1794 because they were controlled by the British, abolition would not be newly extended. As criminal as this was, it was a concession, not a desire, of Napoleon's, and did not re-establish slavery, but rather tolerated it's continued existence in certain areas. The next and really only other suggestive evidence was the actual re-establishment of slavery on Guadeloupe, but that was done locally by Gen. Richepanse, not by Napoleon, although he did nothing to contradict this decision. Consequently, the author's argument should have aimed to demonstrate that Gen. Leclerc had secretly desired the re-establishment of slavery on the island, not Napoleon.
In addition, the author's zealous defense of Toussaint L'Ouverture weakened the final chapters of the book on the French expedition of 1801 and the end of the Haitian Revolution. For one, he never addresses, either to defend or condemn, Toussaint's decision to instate forced labor when he was in command of the island, especially in light of a flimsy economy where although he promised shared profits, he could not do so for long. In effect, with his very restrictive and prohibitive dictatorship, one could argue that it was virtually slavery in all but word. The change was in the treatment of the workers, not in the involuntary state of labor, a distinction that was and is so often ignored or blurred. This is a surprising absence, especially since the author tries to be the empowering defender of the people, who in actuality would have been poorly off as such had not the French expedition ended his reign. In addition, the author fails to address the less pleasant details of Toussaint's 1801 Constitution, focusing solely on the written guarantee of the abolition of slavery, racial equality, and meritocracy, while failing to mention the loss of the revolutionary freedom of worship with the official creation of a solely Catholic state, the prohibition against divorce, the prohibition of any part of government except for the Governor [Toussaint] alone to correspond with the Metropole [France], the political empowerment of the military, and the exemption of the military from civil law. This "Black Jacobin" was a friend of equality and fraternity, but not liberty. Finally, he makes no attempt to demonstrate how Napoleon might have viewed the situation except as part of the bourgeoisie. Nothing was mentioned of Napoleon's significant personal belief in loyalty which was destroyed when he thought that not only did Toussaint want independence but was also felt to be personally betraying him, or even how any of the rough handling and dismissal of mainland French officials and representatives by Toussaint could be interpreted as rebellious behavior, instead solely insisting that slavery was the real motivation, not to any degree a French sense of being betrayed by treasonous colonists.
With these exceptions noted, I nevertheless regard this book as a great source for the topic, especially on the structure of St Domingue society, the influence of the developing French Revolution, and the Haitian Revolution from 1791 through until 1801. Although the book has an open bias, expected from a more famous Marxist author, it is generally well argued, and gives the reader new perspectives and outlooks to consider. The Black Jacobins is well worth the money, and deserves a place on the shelves of any student of French, colonial, or Caribbean history and race relations.
Foundation for Haitian studies
Written in 1938, this historical account has become a reference for most books to follow. It is well-written, flows fairly seemlessly and is therefore hard to put down. It provides a concise and cohesive sudy of the bloody struggle for freedom in St Domingue. I would definitely recommend following it with the trilogy written by Madison Smart Bell, beginning with "All Souls Rising" which will bring this tumultuous history to life. "The Black Jacobins" forms the foundation of my Haitian library.
The epic film James Cameron should have made.
C.L.R. James was a very honest writer and historian. In this book the historical narrative never strays into tedious academic postures of neutrality. However James research is de rigeur and he interprets it as is his ideological bent. This makes The Black Jacobins very readable. Some reviewers portray The Black Jacobins as an anachronistic and crude materialist analysis. This is to me a misreading of both, James and Marx. James makes it absolutely clear that his subject is primarily set with in a mercantile economy. However, his focus is not simply set on the economic foundations of racism but also the totally absurd and depraved vicissitudes of this social pathology. Toussaint L'Ouverture is an absolutely fascinating subject who's sagacity, energy and leadership reveal him to be be one of the most audacious and effective generals in military history. An absolutely brilliant book. After watching Cameron's Avatar I feel confident in saying that this historical narrative is more fascinating than anything yet conjured up in science fiction.
Haiti and Colonial Hardships
I sent for this book after getting involved in the aftermath of Haiti and so I learned a great deal about how the sophisticated and wealthy nations used the colonies and the people there. Not only can we afford to help reconstruction and quality of life for that nation so hurt by the earthquake, but we surely do owe them for hundreds of years of enjoying their products while they mainly lived in poverty. This book is biased in a good way so it is probably not history's only or last word on the times of the French Revolution when colonial slaves first felt their interest in freedom and self governance. I recommend the book for anyone who likes their history vivid and personal. It's not just a good idea for us to help the people of Haiti. It's not just good brother's keeper impulses. It's necessary for us to play a role in emotional social justice. So good for us when we do. People with a better grasp on the early history of the colonies can probably review the book in a different way.
Black Jacobins
This was a great overview of the history of Haiti and Toussaint L'Ouverture. It makes sense of modern day Haiti. Short, easy reading with loads of reference material. A must read if interested in Haiti history.
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