Hamilton College Publius Virgilius Rogers Professor of American History Robert Paquette, in coordination with University of Rochester Professor of Economics Stanley L. Engerman offer this collection of essays which explore the Lesser Antilles from the time of Columbus to the abolition of slavery. Paquette and Engerman attempt to demonstrate how the Lesser Antilles emerged in the 17th and 18th centuries as among the most densely populated and advanced economic areas in the world. They hope to show how the Lesser Antilles served as a stepping-stone for expansion of the slave trade and by extension for the plantation system in the Americas.
The essays are divided into five parts. They are: Europe and Indigenous Peoples, War and Imperial Rivalries, Migration, Trade, and the Transatlantic Economy, Slavery, and Abolition and Emancipation.
Reviews
"These essays not only provide much new information about this region but also contribute to the broader understanding of global history." -- Colonial Latin American Historical Review"This superior set of splendidly edited and introduced essays is interdisciplinary, cross-cultural history at its best. Although intellectually sophisticated and focused on difficult problems, the essays are clearly written, free of jargon, and accessible to students and general readers as well as invaluable for specialists."-- Eugene D. Genovese
