FACING RACIAL REVOLUTION by Jeremy D. Popkin ( 9780226675831 )

Item Details

Title:

FACING RACIAL REVOLUTION
EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS OF THE HAITIAN INSURRECTION

By:

Jeremy D. Popkin

Format:

Paperback

List price:

£19.00

Our price:

£17.10

Discount:

10% off

You save:

£1.90

ISBN 10:

0226675831

ISBN 13:

9780226675831

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Publisher:

THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESS

Pub. date:

1 January, 2008

Pages:

416

Description:

The successful slave uprising, the Haitian Revolution gave birth to first independent black republic of modern era. Numerous narratives of these events survive. This book unearths these documents and presents excerpts from more than a dozen accounts written by white colonists trying to come to grips with a world that had suddenly disintegrated.

Synopsis:

The only truly successful slave uprising in the Atlantic world, the Haitian Revolution gave birth to the first independent black republic of the modern era. Inspired by the revolution that had recently roiled their French rulers, black slaves and people of mixed race alike rose up against their oppressors in a bloody insurrection that led to the burning of the colony's largest city, a bitter struggle against Napoleon's troops, and, in 1804, the founding of a free nation. Numerous firsthand narratives of these events survive, but their invaluable insights into the period have languished in obscurity - until now. In "Facing Racial Revolution", Jeremy D. Popkin unearths these documents and presents excerpts from more than a dozen accounts written by white colonists trying to come to grips with a world that had suddenly disintegrated. These dramatic writings give us our most direct portrayal of the actions of the revolutionaries, vividly depicting encounters with the uprising's leaders - Toussaint L'ouverture, Boukman, and Jean-Jacques Dessalines - as well as putting faces on many of the anonymous participants in this epochal moment.Popkin's expert commentary on each selection provides the necessary background about the authors and the incidents they describe, while also addressing the complex question of the witnesses' reliability and urging the reader to consider the implications of the narrators' perspectives. Along with the American and French revolutions, the birth of Haiti helped shape the modern world. The powerful, moving, and sometimes troubling testimonies collected in Facing Racial Revolution significantly expand our understanding of this momentous event.

Illustrations:

11 halftones

Publication:

Imprint:

University of Chicago Press

Returns:

Returnable

Some other items by this author:

"MEMOIRES SECRETS" AND THE CULTURE OF PUBLICITY (HB)

A CONCISE HISTORY OF THE HAITIAN REVOLUTION