Avengers of the New World, Laurent DuBois
Avengers of the New World, Laurent DuBois
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Avengers of the New World
The Story of the Haitian Revolution

Author: Laurent DuBois

Narrator: Paul Woodson

Unabridged: 13 hr 26 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 08/25/2020


Synopsis

The first and only successful slave revolution in the Americas began in 1791 when thousands of brutally exploited slaves rose up against their masters on Saint-Domingue, the most profitable colony in the eighteenth-century Atlantic world. Within a few years, the slave insurgents forced the French administrators of the colony to emancipate them, a decision ratified by revolutionary Paris in 1794. This victory was a stunning challenge to the order of master/slave relations throughout the Americas, including the southern United States, reinforcing the most fervent hopes of slaves and the worst fears of masters.

But, peace eluded Saint-Domingue as British and Spanish forces attacked the colony. A charismatic ex-slave named Toussaint Louverture came to France's aid, raising armies of others like himself and defeating the invaders. Ultimately Napoleon, fearing the enormous political power of Toussaint, sent a massive mission to crush him and subjugate the ex-slaves. After many battles, a decisive victory over the French secured the birth of Haiti and the permanent abolition of slavery from the land. The independence of Haiti reshaped the Atlantic world by leading to the French sale of Louisiana to the United States and the expansion of the Cuban sugar economy.


About Laurent Dubois

Laurent Dubois is professor of romance studies and history at Duke University. He is coauthor, with Richard Turits, of Freedom Roots: Histories from the Caribbean.


Reviews

Goodreads review by John on April 29, 2014

The Haitian Revolution is extremely complex, and I have never fully understood it. Why was Toussaint Louverture fighting with the Spanish for a while before flipping back to the French? What were the British doing there? Where did Dessalines come from, and how did he get to be in charge? Why did Nap......more

Goodreads review by Katie on October 18, 2017

A wonderfully-told history of a fascinating story. I especially enjoyed Dubois's chapter on the attempts, largely led by Toussaint L'Ouverture, to transition Saint-Domingue from a colony built on slavery to one built on a free labor. Lots of complexities and grey areas. The Haitian Revolution covers......more

Goodreads review by Ben on March 24, 2008

Choice quote from this fantastic book: “The impact of the Haitian Revolution was enormous. As a unique example of successful black revolution, it became a crucial part of the political, philosophical, and cultural currenst of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. By creating a society in which all......more

Goodreads review by Cav on August 30, 2021

"Then, in 1791, the colony’s slaves began a massive uprising. It became the largest slave revolt in the history of the world, and the only one that succeeded. Within a few years these Caribbean revolutionaries gained liberty for all the slaves in the French empire. The man who came to lead Saint-Dom......more

Goodreads review by Sophia on April 20, 2023

I read this book as a class read for my college course, Blacks in the Caribbean. I learned so much from this book and how influential the Haitian Revolution was not just on Haitian History but American and European History as well. I loved how r this was written almost like a series of Journal entri......more