John D. Garrigus – författare

A bold rethinking of the Haitian Revolution reveals the roots of the only successful slave uprising in the modern world.Unearthing the progenitors of the Haitian Revolution has been a historical project of two hundred years. In A Secret among the Blacks, John D. Garrigus introduces two dozen Black men and women and their communities whose decades of resistance to deadly environmental and political threats preceded and shaped the 1791 revolt.In the twenty-five miles surrounding the revolt’s first fires, enslaved people of diverse origins lived in a crucible of forces that arose from the French colonial project. When a combination of drought, trade blockade, and deadly anthrax bacteria caused waves of death among the enslaved in the 1750s, poison investigations spiraled across plantations. Planters accused, tortured, and killed enslaved healers, survivors, and community leaders for deaths the French regime had caused. Facing inquisition, exploitation, starvation, and disease, enslaved people devised resistance strategies that they practiced for decades. Enslaved men and women organized labor stoppages and allied with free Blacks to force the French into negotiations. They sought enforcement of freedom promises and legal protection from abuse. Some killed their abusers.Through remarkable archival discoveries and creative interpretations of the worlds endured by the enslaved, A Secret among the Blacks reveals the range of complex, long-term political visions pursued by enslaved people who organized across plantations located in the seedbed of the Haitian Revolution. When the call to rebellion came, these men and women were prepared to answer.

Slave Revolution in the Caribbean tells the story of the slave revolutions that reconfigured the political geography of the Americas between 1789 and 1804 with a selection of primary sources across Atlantic, U.S., and Caribbean history. The collection explores the complexities of this era, now recognized as a crucial turning point in the history of slavery, racism, and the broader meaning of democracy and human rights. New documents include material from a 1757 poisoning case, a 1793 illustration depicting recently emancipated black fighters, and contemporary Vodou songs. These documents help students get closer to the experience of black revolutionaries. Additional support comes from document headnotes as well as a revised Chronology, Bibliography, and Questions for Consideration.