Slavery and freedom in times of war: The black response to the British Siege of Havana (1762-63)

Abstract

This article evaluates the British siege and occupation of Havana (1762-1763) as an event in the history of the African diaspora and racial slavery in the Atlantic world. People of African descent made up half the population of Cuba at this time, and played a central role in the events of the invasion and occupation. This paper draws upon archival sources in the U.S., Britain, Jamaica, Cuba, and Spain to investigate how the men and women of an interconnected African diaspora responded to this imperial conflict.