Caribbean history

The Daiquiri is the History of American Empire in a Cocktail

by Ian Seavey

"The daiquiri rose to prominence as a direct result of the American imperial project in the Caribbean during the burgeoning classic cocktail age from 1860 to 1920."

Review: The Paradoxes of CLR James

by Gerald Horne

A new biography by John L. Williams examines the connections that the pathbreaking radical intellectual CLR James drew between the Haitian revolution and global struggles for emancipation in the 20th century. 

How Can Haiti Move Forward?

by Marlene L. Daut

Calls for international intervention in Haiti need to consider how the history of foreign interventions—which have been aimed at helping governments instead of people—has brought the nation to its current state of crisis. 

Anastasia Curwood on Shirley Chisholm's Childhood Heroes

Born in Barbados, Shirley Chisholm moved to Brooklyn as a child. Her biographer discusses how her childhood heroes shaped her political worldview. 

George Washington in Barbados?

by Erica Johnson Edwards

The local monuments to George Washington's 1751 visit to Barbados demonstrate the interconnectedness of American and Caribbean histories as well as the influence of Caribbean practices of enslavement on the institution in the United States. 

How Barbados's Reparations Movement Found the International Spotlight

The availability of clear records tying British families – like that of actor Benedict Cumberbatch – to Caribbean slavery has made the movement for reparations in Barbados and other island nations very visible, if not yet successful. 

Haitians Are United Against Another Foreign Intervention – and a Former US Diplomat is With Them

Daniel Foote resigned as a Special Envoy for Haiti in 2021, and warns that a foreign intervention, if it is seen as propping up the government of Ariel Henry, will be so unpopular it will spark mass violence. 

Review: Elizabeth Dore's Grassroots History of Socialism's Decline in Cuba

The loosening of state control over Cuba's economy has delivered most benefits to white Cubans with relatives sending remittances from the United States to start businesses in Cuba. Afro-Cubans and migrants from poorer provinces have suffered. 

Cuba and the US: Necessary Mirrors

by Geraldo Cadava

How much more could the 1619 Project have accomplished if it considered the broader connections of slavery, racism and power in the Caribbean? 

The Elusive Guantanamo Endgame

by Karen J. Greenberg

"In the legal quagmire the U.S. has created, there is, in fact, no easy solution to closing Guantanamo."

How the Cold War Killed Cannabis as We Knew It

When Henry Kissinger sought to assert American control of Caribbean bauxite ore reserves, he set off a political dirty war that poisoned the Jamaican interior and destroyed prominent strains of cannabis in the name of marijuana interdiction. 

Julius S. Scott, Noted Scholar and Professor of Caribbean History, Passes Away at 66

Scott's unpublished disseration on Black internationalism in the Caribbean became legendary; Harvard University’s Vincent Brown described it as “an underground mix-tape” that influenced many other scholars in a field that was not yet established in the academic mainstream. 

Bloody History Looms over Haitian Crisis

"A bloody history of American influence looms large, and a century of U.S. efforts to stabilize and develop the country have ultimately ended in failure."

Marking the 500th Anniversary of the Americas' First Slave Revolt

The legacy of the rebellion, which is considered the first recorded revolt in the Americas, reverberated throughout the region. 

Guantanamo's Other History

by Jeffrey S. Kahn

Reports of a bid for migrant detention contractors based at Guantanamo including speakers of Haitian Creole fed suspicion of a new connection of the military and immigration enforcement. Where Haitian refugees are concerned, the Guantanamo connection is nothing new. 

The West's Centuries-Old Debt to Haiti

by Howard W. French

"Although Americans’ centuries-long debt to the Haitian people is untaught in our schools and unacknowledged in our public discourse, the indomitable spirit of the Haitian people created the United States we know today."

Reviving the Conflict Between Columbus and Taíno Chieftain Caonabó Through Historical Fiction

by Andrew Rowen

By resisting the conquest of Columbus, Taíno peoples made the story of conquest their story too. A novelist explains how he worked to recover both sides of the conflict, including the values and worldview of Native and European antagonists, through historical fiction. 

The US Should be Wary of Interfering in Cuba

by Joseph J. Gonzalez

Young Cuban protesters may be forming a revolutionary generation. They may succeed in advancing democracy if the US can resist the historical temptation to interfere.

Haiti, Cuba, and the History of U.S. Involvement in the Caribbean (Virtual Event July 29)

Michael J. Bustamante and Alyssa Goldstein Sepinwall are featured in a discussion of American intervention in the Caribbean and its relationship to current turmoil in Haiti and Cuba. July 29, 2:00 PM. 

‘Prejudice’ Exposed? Jane Austen’s Links to Slavery ‘Interrogated’

The Jane Austen House museum will undertake an effort to examine and publicize the connections between the novelist's family and the Caribbean slave trade.