Degrees of Freedom: Louisiana and Cuba after Slavery

380 Pages·2005·1.89 MB·English

by  Rebecca J. Scott

Rebecca J. Scott
D E G R E E S
OF
l o u i s i a n a a n d c u b a a f t e r s l av e ry
F R E E D O M
DEGREES OF
F R E E D O M

DEGREES OF
F R E E D O M
l o u i s i a n a a n d
c u b a a f t e r s l a v e r y
Rebecca J. Scott
the belknap press of
harvard university press
Cambridge,Massachusetts
London,England
Copyright©2005bythePresidentandFellowsofHarvardCollege
Allrightsreserved
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
FirstHarvardUniversityPresspaperbackedition,2008.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Scott,RebeccaJ.(RebeccaJarvis),1950–
Degreesoffreedom:LouisianaandCubaafterslavery/RebeccaJ.Scott.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-0-674-01932-4(cloth:alk.paper)
ISBN978-0-674-02759-6(pbk.)
1.AfricanAmericans—Civilrights—Louisiana—History. 2.Citizenship—
Louisiana—History. 3.Slaves—Emancipation—Louisiana. 4.Sugargrowing—
Socialaspects—Louisiana—History. 5.Louisiana—Racerelations. 6.Blacks—
Civilrights—Cuba—History. 7.Citizenship—Cuba—History. 8.Slaves—
Emancipation—Cuba. 9.Sugargrowing—Socialaspects—Cuba—History.
10.Cuba—Racerelations. I.Title.
E185.93.L6S29 2005
323.1196(cid:2)07291(cid:2)09034—dc22 2005047035
To the memory of Tomás Pérez y Pérez

Contents
Introduction 1
1. TwoWorldsofCane
1803–1860 11
2. BuildingCitizenship
Louisiana,1862–1873 30
3. CrisisandVoice
SouthernLouisiana,1874–1896 61
4. FindingtheSpacesofFreedom
CentralCuba,1868–1895 94
5. AWartimeCross-RacialAlliance
Cuba,1895–1898 129
6. DemocracyandAntidemocracy
TheClaimsofCitizens,1898–1900 154
7. TheRighttoHaveRights
1901–1905 189
8. TheSearchforPropertyandStanding
Cuba,1906–1914 216
9. DivergingPathsandDegreesofFreedom 253
Appendix:Tables 273
Abbreviations 277
Notes 279
SelectBibliographyofPrimarySources 339
IllustrationandMapCredits 347
Acknowledgments 349
Index 355

Maps
Louisiana,Cuba,andtheGulfofMexico x–xi
PlantationsalongtheMississippiRiver
inAscensionParish,1858 13
CountrysidearoundCienfuegos,Cuba,ca.1875 19
SouthernLouisiana,ca.1864 32–33
CentralCuba,ca.1868,withthedistricts
thatlaterformedtheprovinceofSantaClara 98–99
OrienteProvince,Cuba,ca.1912 235