C. L. R. James interview on his book "Black Jacobins" (1970)

Trinidadian historian Dr. C.L.R. James discusses his book "The Black Jacobins: Toussaint L'Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution." The book was originally published in 1938.
To Learn More on C.L.R James visit: www.marxists.o...
Credit To: Studs Terkel Radio Archive

[@pollyb2950]

This is so beautiful to stumble across and I thank whoever is responsible for this immensely. To hear CLR James himself speaking just brings this book and this history to life. Thank you. ❤️

[@ajalaomodele3239]

*Beautiful to hear Esteemed Ancestor Baba CLR James. "Black Jacobins" is a masterpiece - gorgeously written, scholarly tour-de-force.*

[@edwconr]

Dr. C.L.R. James scholarship, the intellectual excellence in analysis of history of western civilization is superb.

[@frederickcollins9228]

Thanks for this. I learned about The Black Jacobins from James Michener's book, the Caribbean in which he dedicated a whole chapter to Haiti. I have been in a quest ever since to know more of CLR James.

[@ShangoDC]

This interview is a tremendous rare find.

[@hamilcarluxemburg5266]

So wonderful to hear James' voice, keep these coming comrade.

[@omalone1169]

22:00 glad to hear mention of Voodoo. Bourgeoisism replaced Feudal elements In SD revolt meant they defended wealthy colonies. Mulattos an intermediate rich people not aligned with Whites

[@p.w.7493]

Thank you for sharing the work on this wonderful scholar, Dr. C.L.R. James!! This was a brilliant writer who loved and respected his people and educated himself with their struggles. His insight and recall of their history and experiences remarkably came alive in this interview!! Long live the ideals of the ancestors!!!💯

[@LordPowerful7]

I stumbled across this video too. Watching in March of 2021 and now must find that book to read!

[@barakesmith-washington6946]

it's a beautiful book

[@p.w.7493]

Amazon has soft/paperback copy for $16.+.

[@renaldoricketts]

his works tells me one thing, little has changed since 1938, were still fighting this europeeon zombie, his objectives has not changed. we're an oppressed people world wide. there is one struggle the Pan African struggle. I look forward to reading this book, from what I hear so far he prophesizes about the history of our struggle.

[@renaldoricketts]

a demon never changes, he can't, so is the nature of the beast. some of us are begging for reparations, why would your oppressor help you, why would your enemy show you how to defeat him. see how absurd it sounds , think for a moment. a slave master doesn't unlock the chains that prevents you from being free. he created a system where you sub exist as he remains the one with ultimate power, no one relinquishes power, power only concedes to an equal or greater force. Edit or delete this 2

[@knowahnosenothing4862]

@@renaldoricketts First you have to be smarter than smartest psychopaths on the planet. Central Bank Digital Currencies are gonna hurt everyone. You can break into Marxist groups if you want but at that point you have already lost.

[@stevencolatrella3257]

What a find ! The best interviewer of the 20th Century interviewing the most important historian and political philosopher of the 20th Century. Many thanks for posting this.

[@blueveritech76]

This book is referenced many times in The Amazon series Small Axe.

[@siftordekemet7790]

Thank you so much for sharing this,hearing this great historian is just unimaginable.

[@omalone1169]

3:00 West Indians are not Westerners ? Cuba is west indian

[@Hamza7308]

Thank you for this audio king. Keep up the great content!

[@phatmoses9513]

Such a wealth of knowledge...I loved the way he connected the dot and so eloquently described one of the most horrendous episodes of barbarism plaque on a people in human history...I tip my 👒 knowing I myself would have done so with much fervor & discontent on this subject!

[@halimacandy]

THANK YOU FOR THESE AWESOME FILMS....LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!

[@eddyhoskins236]

amazing ! thank you for this . The impact and influence of this book and CLR James is immeasurable.

[@np6067]

Amazing recording Ayiti will be restored and I dare say without our restoration the remaining milenated population cannot be restored. Unity is force, Carribean, African, Milenated Americans and our Advocates of all Ethnicity until we unit we will continue to be trampled on. Unity, Unity, Unity, Unity, Unity!

[@frederickcollins9228]

Thanks so much for this. As a non-historian it was Michener's Caribbean that introduced me to Haitian revolution in a serious way. That led me to Black Jacobins. Never heard CLR James' voice. Tx.

[@benjaminwilliams2264]

Many thanks have been looking for something similar and its great to have this online

[@mariaw5739]

WOW, IF WE COULD ALL HEAR THIS, VERY DEEP.

[@peacetheworld...........7105]

His books are amazing......... great brother...

[@sovereigncreative9987]

......precious jewels. Thank you!

[@DIMP11]

Went to a Caribbean writers conference at Guyana’s independence, James,Selvon and Walcott were there. It was a great event. Forgive me if I have mixed some of the attendees as I met all these Gentlemen at the BBC where my former husband Joe Sanders was the producer of Calling the Caribbean” Laming and Salkey were also acquaintances and of course Naipaul, who had difficulty being a West Indian.

[@tesfuweldemikael2902]

Even after one minute, it's savage. I like that. It's also a very important book, appreciating the significance of the event. Even if some things are left out which one finds in newer accounts.

[@tanroopsandhu1416]

This is incredible! Thanks for posting

[@omalone1169]

7:00 what else is Basil Davidson doing

[@andreyarborough]

Thank you for posting

[@omalone1169]

18:00 Toussaint Read Abbe Raynal

[@georgewalker1860]

this is a classic text ,am recommended it to one and all

[@seriela]

Congratulations on reading all of Proust's masterpiece. You're motivating me to attempt it. After I finish Zola's series on the Rougon-Maquart.

[@Spiritof38Productions]

KZbin just recommended this today. thanks for this.

[@kbro7997]

Excellent upload! :)

[@abdulraheem415]

I can't believe I found this and its been on KZbin for 2 years!!! I'm so angry with myself for just finding it early.

[@andreschulze202]

What a great marxian book.

[@swhopkinson]

Great interview from a great Marxist Humanist. He talks about the courses he was teaching - do we know what they were or if we can see their outlines?

[@blueeyeliner7803]

I hope everyone searching for this timeless priceless book find it at a lower. price they hide the truth and then use highly unfair prices because they know some ppl cant afford it ....good luck ppl getting your hands on all of the books that are at times difficult to get ...

[@wadadadr2327]

Wonderful Amazing ancestors Top shelf Caribbean represent!!!

[@knagarjun]

I enjoyed the interview very much. Thank you. Who is the interviewer?

[@LowellBDennyIII]

An interesting aside to James' emphasis on having been a West Indian and citing the people, like Garvey, Cesaire, Fidel, etc., is if there is any truth to this thesis, our present scientific DNA advances would not tell us this. If we were to send CLR James' DNA to Ancestry-dot-com, we would be informed to the smallest percentage where his bloodline originated in Africa, and maybe Europe if there were any British in his colonial family tree, but the test result would say nothing about Trinidad. So, what makes the man? I ask THIS question because James essentially answers it in his famous essay, "From Toussaint L'Ouverture to Fidel Castro," when he writes "Toussaint did not make the Revolution, but the Revolution made Toussaint."

[@maaruz1979]

Lowell Denny he’s speaking not of DNA but of socialization....

[@kevinscott59]

Lowell Denny In that same essay James concludes that Toussaint was the first and greatest West Indian. So indeed,on one end he's speaking of European hegemony when speaking on the constitution of a West Indian. On the other hand he's speaking of the development of a distinct consciousness and identity born of independence struggles in the Caribbean to this hegemony.

[@theblackstarnews9448]

Even more interesting is that we are all Africans and that even Europeans, Asians, Hispanics-- all so-called "Races" originate in Africa

[@stanleyraper1290]

Studs Terkel is the Interviewer

[@kenny6774]

Thanks for this info!

[@scottstiefel2061]

No, I don't think it is. Studs had an American accent, and the interviewer sounds Irish

[@richardforster5394]

@@scottstiefel2061 Um, no dude. That's not an Irish accent, that's a 20th C. Chicago accent and the unmistakable voice of Studs Terkel, born in New York City to Russian Jewish parents.

[@omalone1169]

​@@kenny677415:30 sugar plantations educated them

[@PortsladeBySea]

Excellent documentary. Whilst visiting the Caribbean my family and I visited the museum in Dominica which details the slave trade in the Caribbean. The abuse, suffering, rape and murder that took place was appalling, whilst a few white people accumilated vast fortunes from the sale and production of sugar snd tobacco. When we visited Gambia we went on the Roots excursion and visited Kunta Kinte’s village. The punishment block is a horrific building and in the museum they display the implements used to enslave and punish the Gambian people 😰⛓️🇬🇲

[@Artistisch]

I keep searching for the book mr James mentions at 17:39 and keep not getting any results. Anybody can point out the full title and how to write the name of the author?

[@ariesLily]

I will have to research DuBois some more. From what I've read about him, I find his ways to be negative particularly his treatment of Garvey. CLR James acknowledges Garvey in this but still places DuBois on a pedestal and that's hard for me to understand at this point in time.

[@maaruz1979]

ariestrini you have to be mature about it; study DuBois’ entire life without holding a grudge because of Garvey

[@ariesLily]

@@maaruz1979 I actually agree with DuBois' philosophy but I can't simply dismiss what he did to Garvey. Garvey was a brother and the especially educated ones ought to better appreciate why we must not shoot our own in the bank nor attempt to destroy them for selfish gain or because of jealousy and false pride. Didn't Garvey effectively achieve what DuBois couldn't or didn't?

[@stuartwray6175]

For Cornel West, Dubois as an individual leaves a lot to be desired, yet he greatly admires his intellect.

[@glendoralashley]

@@stuartwray6175 what good is the intellect when the heart is evil and the mind is envious? That's like caucasian scientists "proving" that caucasians are "superior"... As much as it was challenging, why didn't DuBois and his colleagues then offer to assist Garvey instead of taking the approach of undermining his work from the get go? Garvey seemed to have had an "in charge complex" yes, but if the current potus can have staff actively working around his daily episodes to protect the states then certainly others could have attempted to work with Garvey for the greater good. Those fellas were too intellectual for their own good!

[@josephlindor3708]

@@glendoralashley everybody wanna talk about Garvey and dubois, but the true pan-african founder name never mention. Google his name, ANTENOR FIRMIN, FOUNDER OF PAN-AFRICANISM. he started the pan-african movement in Haiti in 1900, and that same year the first pan-african conference took place in England with firmin, dubois, plus a trinidadian brother. Garvey was only 12 year's old at the time. and the cost of many more pan-african conferences after came from they pockets

[@bohof6777]

Can anyone tell me te first name and book he mentioned on 2:27?

[@MoonGlow444]

Just looked at the book on Amazon. It’s $167 dollars 👀. I’m assuming it’s some very valuable information in there. Anybody know where I can get it at a better price?

[@p.w.7493]

Amazon has the paperback (soft copy) for $16.+. Try getting while you can!

[@andrewburridge5958]

@@p.w.7493 I've recently read this - and what a story - how James describes the young James reading the Abbot - "a leader will come"!

[@p.w.7493]

@@andrewburridge5958 Indeed!

[@alliedsales219]

It's very informative Remember it is 1970 Listen to the contempt in the voice of the white interviewer

[@hodgemoss]

The “Black Jacobins “ is this prophetic?

[@karenvibes5156]

I'm now reading his book on my channel - (minty Alley) awesome author!

[@spirithawk2418]

Excelsior

[@omalone1169]

7:40 George Rawick

[@Irisceresjuno]

Weird. Normally when people go on about the importance of Western Civilization, they don't stick the landing.

[@darrylwilson9718]

I thought that was John Thompson

[@mcconnellfamily4557]

I have 2 scrap books with CLR James handwritten letters, letters from priministers, publishing and newspapers clips. About 100yrs old. Who would be intrested in these? Thank you

[@eamonwhalen2062]

I would, email me [e-mail]

[@AfroMarxist]

yes please, email me at [e-mail]

[@Hooks2013]

The first 1:15 said it all....

[@hodgemoss]

A West Indian revolution. Nice, very very nice !!!!

[@King_Edwards]

Debois believed in the talented 10th which hurts us long term based on systematic limitations. The same thing Asians will experience. Debois was exiled to the Islands simllar to Marcus Garvey being jailed and exiled to Britain. As much as he preached about Africa because he never went there. He was a tool for American white supremist. We should have followed Booker T Washington and dropped our buckets where we were. We were tye most skilled and talented inventors at that time. Those guys were not FBA at the end of the day and you see what happened.

[@King_Edwards]

Everyones talking about Africa but 99% of Black Americans have Irish, Scottish and Welsh surnames. There are not enough slave owners to give that many names out. These are not African names. You all are missing a huge piece.

[@errolmichaelphillips7763]

The island of San Salvador?

[@danadd8510]

The island of San Salvador was actually Guanahani. A Lucayan Indian island in the archipelago of the Bahamas. And yes, this is where the unfortunate events of colonial landing was first said to begin in the West Indies.

[@errolmichaelphillips7763]

@@danadd8510 Thanks for the info'

[@King_Edwards]

And then the book is named Black Jacobins. ??? Hmm. The people that Cromwell sent to the Islands were Jacobites. Who came to the Island after 3 rebellions. One in the 1680's. One in the 1715 and 1745. These Irish, Scots and Welsh were fighting to take the the throan for Black Scot King James and also fought against the Catholic church which they lost and was shipped to North America and the Islands specifically Jamaica. North American Black Americans and Islanders have Irish Scottish and Welsh names. This is not a coincidence. The 13 colonies were chartered Black King James and his sons. Except for Georgia it was chartered by King George II who was a Black German Moor. Thats where slavery started. This was in the 15 to 1600's. King George II was a mulatto so that tells you why he was pushing slavery.

[@andreyarborough9065]

31:40

[@Taylordessalines]

CLR was obsessed with Toussaint. It was Dessalines that was the great one. Toussaint was forced to fight because of French rejection. He wanted to be french. His creole upbringing, seduced him.

[@hadessahf3549]

Gatekeepers

[@weebgrinder-AIArtistPro]

So it's not true you can't use the "master's tools" to destroy the master's house. They did it.

[@josephlindor3708]

but sir, one of the mistake you made in this piece is that, haitian's back in 1776 had already fought in the american revolution which took place before the french revolution.so the french revolution had nothing to do with the black jacobin's aka the haitian's. plus, have you heard of makandal.

[@theblackstarnews9448]

Good point. So you could say the American Revolution gave them the experience--and that they were just waiting for the opportune moment to strike!