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Island on fire the revolt that ended slavery in the British Empire

"For five horrific weeks after Christmas in 1831, Jamaica was convulsed by an uprising of its enslaved people. What started as a peaceful labor strike quickly turned into a full-blown revolt, leaving hundreds of plantation houses smoking ruins. By the time British troops had put down the rebels...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Clasificación:Libro Electrónico
Autor principal: Zoellner, Tom (Autor)
Formato: Electrónico eBook
Idioma:Inglés
Publicado: Cambridge, Massachusetts Harvard University Press 2020
Temas:
Acceso en línea:Texto completo
Descripción
Sumario:"For five horrific weeks after Christmas in 1831, Jamaica was convulsed by an uprising of its enslaved people. What started as a peaceful labor strike quickly turned into a full-blown revolt, leaving hundreds of plantation houses smoking ruins. By the time British troops had put down the rebels, more than a thousand Jamaicans lay dead from summary executions and extrajudicial murder. While the rebels lost their military gamble, their sacrifice accelerated the larger struggle for freedom in the British Atlantic. The daring and suffering of the Jamaicans galvanized public opinion throughout the empire, resulting in a decisive turn against slavery. For centuries bondage had fed Britain's appetite for sugar. Within two years of the Christmas rebellion, slavery was formally abolished. Island on Fire is a dramatic day-by-day account of this transformative uprising. A skillful storyteller, Tom Zoellner goes back to the primary sources to tell the intimate story of the men and women who tasted liberty for a few brief weeks. He memorably evokes the sights and sounds of the Caribbean in the 1830s, provides the first full portrait of its enigmatic leader Samuel Sharpe, and gives us a poignant glimpse of the dreams of the many Jamaicans who died for liberty"--
Descripción Física:1 online resource (363 pages) illustrations, map
Bibliografía:Includes bibliographical references (pages 285-341) and index
ISBN:9780674246072
0674246071
9780674246058
0674246055
9780674246065
0674246063