Julia Gaffield, PhD
@juliagaffield.bsky.social
3K followers 1.9K following 130 posts
Historian (she/her) https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300255478/i-have-avenged-america/
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I am thrilled to share the cover of my forthcoming book, I Have Avenged America: Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Haiti’s Fight for Freedom (June 2025 @yalepress.bsky.social)

The stunning painting is by Haitian-American artist Ulrick Jean-Pierre (ulrickjeanpierre.com)

yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300...
Reposted by Julia Gaffield, PhD
Jean-Jacques Dessalines, Haiti's first post-independence ruler, was not just a violent revolutionary, but a leader who dedicated himself to eliminating slavery and fighting for freedom at great personal cost. A new biography by @juliagaffield.bsky.social offers a full portrait.
Jean-Jacques Dessalines: Reassessing the Haitian revolutionary leader’s legacy
Historian Julia Gaffield discusses her recent biography on Haiti’s first leader, whose life she argues was unfairly tarnished by biased verdicts of history.
buff.ly
Reposted by Julia Gaffield, PhD
My colleague Jack Bouchard's book Terra Nova is out today! It's about early 16th-century mariners and the seasonal fishery around present-day Newfoundland, and its place within the Atlantic World. I cannot wait to read it

yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300...
Terra Nova
A bottom-up story of the fishworkers, whalers, First Nations, merchantwomen, oceans, and animals who together made a new colonial world in the early Atlantic...
yalebooks.yale.edu
Reposted by Julia Gaffield, PhD
Explore this reading list of ten Yale books for Black History Month 2025 featuring books on Britain’s first black Olympic medal winner, the first and last king of Haiti, Regency London’s most famous street performer and more.
yalebooks.co.uk/black-histor...
#blackhistorymonth #blackhistory #bhmuk
Black History Month Reading List - Yale University Press London
Explore this reading list of ten Yale books for Black History Month 2025 featuring books on Britain's first black Olympic medal winner, the first and last king of Haiti, Regency London's most famous s...
yalebooks.co.uk
Reposted by Julia Gaffield, PhD
Launching my new seminar on Saint-Domingue and the world of the Haitian Revolution—looking fwd to discussing excellent works, esp. new books by Marlene Daut, @juliagaffield.bsky.social, and @malickghachem.bsky.social.
Reposted by Julia Gaffield, PhD
When Jefferson trashed Wheatley’s book, he hadn’t yet published a book of his own. I think about that sometimes.
In 1903, the Haitian historian Jules Rosemond argued in preparation for the centenary of Haitian independence that Jean-Jacques Dessalines was born on September 20, 1758, and today we commemorate the life of this leader of the Haitian Revolution.
Reposted by Julia Gaffield, PhD
Reposted by Julia Gaffield, PhD
Join the #Slaveryarchive book club next Saturday, September 20, 2:00 PM EST to discuss @juliagaffield.bsky.social's new brilliant book I Have Avenged America: Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Haiti's Fight for Freedom (Yale University Press, 2025), register here us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
"By weaving together rich context and the personal experiences of Christophe and Dessalines, I put down these books with a much better understanding of the Haitian Revolution." Review essay by @bramhubbell.com for @liberatingnarratives.com
Same 🫠
Please know that I live in mortal terror of accidentally spelling someone's name wrong or having autocorrect do it for me.
Reposted by Julia Gaffield, PhD
@juliagaffield.bsky.social is doing a zoom book talk in a few weeks on a Saturday if you want to go!
Reposted by Julia Gaffield, PhD
Finishing up these two new excellent books.
Reposted by Julia Gaffield, PhD
Sighting of long-awaited @csschmitt.bsky.social volume!
Happy (early) Pub Day, @csschmitt.bsky.social! Can't wait to read it!
Happy (early) Pub Day, @csschmitt.bsky.social! Can't wait to read it!
Marlene Daut's _The First and Last King of Haiti_ is on the shortlist for the Cundill Prize! The book is an excellent biography, a compelling narration of the Haitian Revolution, and a brilliant meditation on historical methodology!

www.cundillprize.com/news/2025sho...
The 2025 Cundill History Prize Shortlist | Cundill Prize
The jurors have chosen 8 exceptional titles to be shortlisted for the 2025 Cundill History Prize.
www.cundillprize.com
They did not end up signing a trade treaty because the British wanted to undermine Haitian sovereignty, but British merchants continued trading with the new nation, even as the British refused to recognize Haiti's independence (read more in Chapters 9 & 10).
To prepare for Haitian independence, Dessalines proposed a trade treaty to the British governor of Jamaica. He claimed that the French had “trampled on the laws of honor and humanity” and insisted that his people "would suffer death, the death of cowards, rather than return to its fatal protection."
Reposted by Julia Gaffield, PhD
Did I buy this book in part because the cover looks so awesome (maaaaybe) but I just finished it and liked it a lot. The early years of his life and how plantation slavery worked in Haiti was especially interesting. Plus the round up of how Dessalines has been portrayed was helpful
I am thrilled to share the cover of my forthcoming book, I Have Avenged America: Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Haiti’s Fight for Freedom (June 2025 @yalepress.bsky.social)

The stunning painting is by Haitian-American artist Ulrick Jean-Pierre (ulrickjeanpierre.com)

yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300...