Who are the “Black Jacobins”? What relation do they have to the Jacobins, the radical French revolutionaries in power from 1789 to 1794?

This question asks readers to think critically about the title of C.L.R. James’s history. The “Black Jacobins” refers to the black men and women who fought for Haitian independence between 1789 and 1804, perhaps later. The title—both of the book and of the people—draws a parallel to the Society of the Jacobins, which led the French Revolution. James intends for the reader to think about the Haitian Revolution in the context of the Enlightenment ideals of liberty and equality.

Who is the central hero of the text?

This question asks the reader to consider the multiple definitions of what it means to be a hero. Although James clearly casts Toussaint L’Ouverture in the role of the hero, James also emphasizes that many...