HIST 351 Slavery, Capitalism, and Revolution: The Impact of the New World on Europe, 1700-1900 (Not offered 1998-99)*

This seminar will investigate the rich historiographical debate on the causes for the end of slavery in Europe's New World colonies. Were the causes of abolition religious, political, or economic? Was abolition caused by events in Europe or by events in the Caribbean and Latin and South America? What role did slaves play, especially those in Saint Domingue/Haiti, in the ending of European New World slavery? Classic works like Eric Williams' Capitalism and Slavery, C. L. R. James' The Black Jacobins, Sidney Mintz's Sweetness and Power, and Thomas Holt's The Problem of Freedom, form the basis for an exploration of these themes. While centered on the institution of slavery in the Caribbean, the course will also examine the role of Latin and South American independence movements on slavery in Spanish America, the evolution of racial thought in Europe, and the role of Chinese and Indian indentured labor during the transition to free labor in the New World. Requirements include: informed class participation, oral and written class presentations, and a long (20-30 page) research paper based on an original reading of primary sources. Enrollment limited. Groups B and D

SINGHAM