C.L.R. James’ The Black Jacobins: Toussaint L’Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution.

This is not a book report. This means that you should build the essay in the usual manner, with a beginning (introduction), a middle (the primary argument and evidence), and an end (the conclusion). The beginning should set the necessary context and overall argument. It should tell readers what the essay is about and why it is interesting and important enough for them to care about it, either in terms of the ongoing historical debates, the historical record, or understanding contemporary issues. The introduction should also include your thesis statement that provides the thread and argument you will carry through the entire essay. This should be your organizing principle. The middle contains the bulk of the essay and contains the purpose, approach, argument, place in the ongoing debates, use of evidence, major contribution (does the author break new ground?), etc. – this section should be more than the sum of its parts. It is not simply a recapitulation of the contents of the book. The book should also be compared, common themes and approaches noted, as well as disagreements among other resources. Your voice should be heard here as well, developing your own position on this topic as well as the authors’ treatment of it. The end contains the conclusion, reminding your readers of the importance of the topic and providing a final assessment of the book and its contribution to furthering the understanding of the larger questions or contexts set out in the introduction. Your review should be no less than five pages and includes proper references and citations.