220095 Entangled Revolutions: The U.S., France and Haiti, 1775-1804 (S) (SoSe 2026)

What triggered the American War of Independence in 1775, and how did it influence the French Revolution of 1789? What effects did these revolutions have on France's Caribbean colonies built on slave labor, especially Saint Domingue (now Haiti), which became the first Afro-Caribbean-led republic after its independence struggle (1791–1804)? This seminar examines these interconnected upheavals in North America, the Caribbean, and Europe during the “Age of Revolutions.”

Using research literature and selected primary sources, you will develop social, intellectual, and political historical perspectives on the revolutionary events in the Americas and Europe at the end of the 18th century.

This course is connected to the seminar of the same name (course no. …) and is best taken together as a module block course.

Teilnahmevoraussetzungen, notwendige Vorkenntnisse

Good command of written and spoken English in order to be able to read and discuss the course literature and primary source materials.