HIST 384 - Caribbean Revolutions

3 Credit(s)

For more than 500 years, Caribbean islands have been host to some of the most shocking and impactful revolutions that the world has ever seen. But what about the region—its history of colonialism, suitability for exploitative plantation regimes, location, and environmental vulnerability—has made these islands the sites of periodic tumult? In Caribbean Revolutions, students study economic events, often called revolutions—the sugar revolution of the mid-17th century and the industrial revolution of the 19th century. They also consider social revolutions that achieved various levels of success, including Maroon Wars in Jamaica, the American Revolution as experienced in the British West Indies, and the Haitian Revolution. The class concludes by looking at various anti-colonial struggles of the 19th century. Reading and discussing both primary sources and interpretations written by historians provides students with a clearer understanding of what revolutions are, the factors that often cause them, and their significance for historical changes in the Caribbean basin.