The book under review was mostly about United States slavery, but included information about the West Indies; on population and demography, emancipation, the Haitian slave revolt and the sugar trade. The book also included information about the Caribbean and South America in the chapter on "The International Context of U.S. Slavery," pp. 13-37
On Christmas Day 1521, in the Spanish colony of Santo Domingo, the first recorded slave revolt in the Americas occurred. A group of African, likely Wolof, slaves came together with native Indians led by the Taino cacique Enriquillo to assert their independence. Beyond being the first slave revolt in the Americas, it was also one of the most important moments in Colonial American history because it was the first known instance when Africans and Indians united against their Spanish overlords in the Americas.
The author discusses the use of slavery reparations as a strategy for economic development. Particular focus is given to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Reparations Commission, which was formed in 2013 in order to address the damages caused to Caribbean nations by slavery and racism. The author argues for the creation of a reparations commission in the U.S. The book "Britain's Black Debt" by Hilary Beckles is also discussed.
African American Research Center, Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Journal Title Details:
39(2) : 196-210
Notes:
Reviews several books on slavery. Silver, Trade and War: Spain and America in the Making of Early Modern Europe, by Stanley J. Stein and Barbara H. Stein; Black Society in Spanish Florida, by Jane Landers; Gobernar Colonias, by Josep M. Fradera.;
Reviews several books on slavery. The Abolition of Slavery in Brazil: The "Liberation" of Africans Through the Emancipation of Capital, by David Baronov; The Virgin, The King and the Royal Slaves of El Cobre: Negotiating Freedom in Colonial Cuba, 1670-1780, by María Elena Díaz; The Rise of African Slavery in the Americas, by David Eltis.;
