Today in Labor History August 22, 1791: Encouraged by the French and American revolutions, Toussaint Louverture led over 100,000 Haitian slaves in a revolt against the French. They were ultimately successful, making Haiti the first black republic in the world. The US refused recognition of Haiti until 1865, as a result of pressure from Southern slaveholders. The French demanded $21 billion In today’s dollars) in reparations for the losses to the former slaveholders, in exchange for peace and recognition of Haiti as an independent nation. The debt was financed through French banks and the U.S. bank, Citibank. The Haitians finally paid it off in 1947. However, the huge interest payments for their independence debt, and the debt incurred through the corruption of the Duvalier dynasty, have made Haiti one of the poorest nations in the western hemisphere. Prior to independence, Haiti was the richest and most productive of all of Europe’s colonies.

The best book I’ve read on the Haitian Revolution is “The Black Jacobins,” by Trinidadian socialist C.L.R. James. Cuban writer Alejo Carpentier explores the revolution in his novel, “The Kingdom of This World” (1949). You can read more about Toussaint Louverture and the slave uprising in Madison Smartt Bell’s trilogy called “All Souls' Rising” (1995) and Isabel Allende’s 2010 novel, “Island Beneath the Sea.”

#WorkingClass #LaborHistory #haiti #Revolution #jacobins #ToussaintLouverture #slavery #colonialism #books #CLRJames #novel #fiction #author #writer #IsabelAllende #BlackMastadon @bookstadon

Today in Labor History May 19, 1989: Trinidadian Marxist historian and journalist C.L.R. James died. James was the author of The Black Jacobins (1938), Breaking a Boundary (1963), numerous articles and essays on class and race antagonism, West Indian self-determination, cricket, Marxism, & aesthetics. In 1933, he published the pamphlet The Case for West-Indian Self Government. He was a champion of Pan-Africanism and a member of the Friends of Ethiopia, an organization opposed to fascism and the Italian conquest of Ethiopia. He also wrote a play about the Haitian Revolution, Toussaint L’Ouverture, the Story of the Only Successful Slave Revolt in History. Paul Robeson starred in the 1936 British production.

#WorkingClass #LaborHistory #CLRJames #marxism #trinidad #WestIndies #haiti #revolution #history #books #BlackMastadon #author #writing @bookstadon

Today In Labor History 7, 1804: Haitian general, Toussaint Louverture died on this day. He was one of the most prominent members of the Haitian revolution for independence from France. The slave revolt against the French began in 1791 with the call by Dutty Boukman, a vodou priest. Encouraged by the French and American revolutions, Louverture led 100,000 enslaved Haitians in revolt, winning their freedom in 1793. In 1804, Haiti became first free black republic in the world. The U.S. refused to recognize Haiti for the next 70 and France extracted millions in restitution, destroying any hope of ever moving out of deep poverty. Louverture was betrayed in the end and died in prison. For a fantastic history of the Haitian Revolution, read “The Black Jacobins,” by C.L.R.James.

#LaborHistory #WorkingClass #haiti #Revolution #slavery #racism #colonialism #vodou #BlackJacobins #CLRJames #book @bookstadon

More:
#CLRJames
https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/c-l-r-james-renaissance-revolutionary

#CLRJames
https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/dont-be-afraid-of-going-wrong-conversations-with-c-l-r-james

#OTD C. L. R. James was born in 1901 (his birth name was Cyril Lionel Robert James.). He was a Trinidadian historian, journalist and Marxist. He authored the 1937 work "World Revolution" about the history of the Communist International, as well as “The Black Jacobins” which covered the Haitian Revolution.

Today's artwork is by us 🙂 You can find prints here:
https://l-boe.redbubble.com/

#Marxism #CLRJames #MastoArt #history #Trinidad #Jan4 #ToWeRi

"The rich are only defeated when running for their lives."

- C. L. R. James (author of "The Black Jacobins," one of the best books on the Haitian Revolution and Tousaint L'Ouverture).

#CLRJames #haiti #Revolution #colonialism #marxism @bookstadon

Really liked this podcast episode with Culture as Code. https://a16z.simplecast.com/episodes/culture-as-code-rerun-eL9hlgGW really liked how Ben Horowitz talked about Haiti's revolution & Toussaint Louverture's leadership. I first read about it in C.L.R. James's The Black Jacobins. More recently in the Revolutions podcast. It is not often that you hear business leaders talking about his leadership though.

#CLRJames #HaitiRevolution #History #Business #Podcast #RevolutionsPodcast

Putting in a late #inktober drawing on day 4 😌 Today's drawing is of CLR James, a Trinidadian historian, journalist and Marxist. He was the author of the 1937 work "World Revolution" outlining the history of the Communist International.
#CLRJames #MastoArt #Marxism

Haiti als Symbol für Schwarze Würde und Widerstand. Andreas Eckert heute im @FAZ_Feuilleton zu #CLRJames: „Die Studie des in Trinidad geborenen (…) politischen Journalisten und Schriftstellers gilt in der internationalen Forschung zu Recht als historiographischer Meilenstein.“🔥