The Black Jacobins: Toussaint L’Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution

Writing in 1962, James indicates that he lightly revised the book for accuracy. He also justifies the addition of an Appendix that, “for the first time,” considers the future of the West Indies “in relation to their own history” rather than that of Europe and America (vii).

James announces his intent to explore “why and how” the Haitian revolution became “the only successful slave revolt in history” (ix)—an outcome he attributes largely to the efforts of Toussaint L’Ouverture. He also lays out his approach acknowledging both context and the possibility of individual intervention.

James summarizes events leading to the transatlantic slave trade. Upon arriving in the West Indies in 1492, explorer Christopher Columbus claimed the island of San Domingo (now known as Hispaniola) for Spain. Over the next few decades, due to colonial policies, including forced labor, and imported diseases, the indigenous population of the island decreased dramatically. In 1517, King Charles V authorized the transport of 15,000 African slaves to the island, opening a slave trade that would eventually see millions of Africans forcefully relocated. Meanwhile, Spain and France struggled for control of the island until a 1695 treaty split it into two territories, with France laying