MODULE 2International Abolitionism
Class 1: Abolition and the Birth of Internationalism
Thursday, March 6 from 6:30 - 8:30 PM ET
Instructor: Manolo De Los Santos
This class explores how news of slave revolts and the Haitian Revolution set the Americas ablaze with revolutionary energy. Through ships, letters, and underground resistance networks, the call for liberation spread across the Caribbean and the U.S. South—offering hope to the enslaved and striking fear into slaveholders. Enslaved people in the U.S. South looked to Haiti’s triumph, drawing strength and strategy from its success. This class examines how Haiti’s revolution sought to extend beyond its borders, planting the seeds of international solidarity and proving that freedom in one place can inspire rebellion everywhere.
Class 2: The Unfinished Revolution: From Civil War to Reconstruction
Tuesday, March 11 6:30 - 8:30 PM ET
Instructor: Eugene Puryear
The Civil War was a turning point in the struggle for abolition, but the fight didn’t end with emancipation. With the status quo shattered, Reconstruction emerged as a revolutionary movement that sought to radically transform the country, dismantling the ruling class’ control over poor workers and farmers, providing essential public services, and asserting Black political power. This class explores the abolitionist movement in the U.S., the profound impact of Black resistance during Reconstruction, and the lessons we can draw from this pivotal era.