Avengers of the New World: The Story of the Haitian Revolution by Laurent Dubois. The only successful slave revolution in the Americas began in 1791 when slaves rose up against their masters on Saint-Domingue. Within a few years, they forced the French to emancipate them. Ultimately Napoleon sent a massive mission to subjugate the ex-slaves. A decisive victory over the French secured the birth of Haiti, a key moment in the history of democracy.

The Black Jacobins: Toussaint L'Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution by C.L.R. James. Account of the Haitian Revolution of 1794-1803 and a slave named Toussaint L'Ouverture who helped form the first independent nation in the Caribbean.

Haiti in Focus: A Guide to the People, Politics, and Culture by Charles Arthur. This guidebook explores Haiti's history, politics, and culture. Includes tips on where to go and what to see.

The Kingdom of This World by Alejo Carpentier, translated by Harriet De Onis. A few years after its liberation from French colonialist rule, Haiti experienced a period of unsurpassed brutality under the reign of King Henri-Christophe. This novel tells the story of the regime through the eyes of a slave.

Christophe: King of Haiti by Hubert Cole. A biography of Henry Christophe, who reigned as King Henry I in northern Haiti from 1811 until 1820, when rebellion in his kingdom drove him to commit suicide. Published in 1967. Out of print, but available from Alibris.

Black Majesty: The Slave Who Became a King; The Life of Christophe, King of Haiti by John W. Vandercook, illustrated by Mahlon Blaine. Fictionalized account of the life of Henry Christophe, first published in 1928.

Anacaona, Golden Flower: Haiti 1490 by Edwidge Danticat. Fiction from the Royal Diaries series for children ages 9 to 12. Anacaona was a popular queen of Haiti who suffered at the hands of Spanish conquistadors.

Jamaica

The Iron Crown by Carey Robinson. About the defeat of the British by the Maroons.

The Mother of Us All: A History of Queen Nanny, Leader of the Windward Jamaican Maroons by Karla Lewis Gottlieb. Queen Nanny was an Ashanti woman from Ghana, possibly a queen, who arrived in Jamaica in the 18th century and became a leader of the Maroons, former slaves who had founded their own communities. Out of print, but available from Alibris.

History of Jamaica by Clinton Vane De Brosse Black. Covers Jamaican history from the arrival of the Arawaks one thousand years ago. From Alibris.

More Books About Jamaica
Books About Rastafarianism

North America

Chiefdoms and Chieftaincy in the Americas by Elsa M. Redmond, the International Congress of Americanists, and Neil L. Whitehead. About the development of hereditary chiefdoms.

The Indian Chief as Tragic Hero: Native Resistance and the Literatures of America, From Moctezuma to Tecumseh by Gordon M. Sayre. Analyzes the tragedies and epics written about these leaders, and their own speeches and strategies.

The Cambridge History of the Native Peoples of the Americas: Volume I, North America edited by Bruce G. Trigger and Wilcomb E. Washburn. The first comprehensive history of the native peoples of North America from their arrival in the western hemisphere to the present.

The Cambridge History of the Native Peoples of the Americas: Volume II, Mesoamerica edited by Richard E. W. Adams and Murdo J. MacLeod. Native cultures of Mesoamerica before and after contact with Europeans. Covers such groups as the Olmec, the Maya, the Aztec, the Zapotec, and the Tarascan.

Cambridge History of the Native Peoples of the Americas: Volume III, South America edited by Frank Salomon and Stuart Schwartz. Concentrates on continental South America, but connected peoples in the Caribbean and lower Central America are also discussed.

A Native American Encyclopedia: History, Culture, and Peoples by Barry M. Pritzker. Covers USA regions. Reference with alphabetical listings on notable leaders, government, customs, dress, dwellings, weapons, religion, and more. From Oxford University Press.

Knights of Spain, Warriors of the Sun: Hernando De Soto and the South's Ancient Chiefdoms by Charles M. Hudson. Between 1539 and 1542, Hernando de Soto led a small army on a desperate journey of exploration across the Southeast part of what is now the United States. This book looks at where he went and what he found. 97 photos. 10 maps.

Aztec

The Aztecs by Richard F. Townsend. Presents an engaging portrait of this complex civilization.

The Allure of Nezahualcoyotl: Pre-Hispanic History, Religion, and Nahua Poetics by Jongsoo Lee. Nezahualcoyotl (1402-1472) was the poet-king of the Mexican city-state of Texcoco. This book examines original codices and poetry written in Nahuatl alongside Spanish chronicles to paint a realistic portrait of the legendary Aztec figure.

Conquistador: Hernán Cortés, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs by Buddy Levy. In 1519, Hernán Cortés arrived on the shores of Mexico. In Tenochtitlán, the famed City of Dreams, he met Montezuma, king of 15 million people. In less than two years, Cortés defeated the entire Aztec nation.

Conquest: Cortes, Montezuma, and the Fall of Old Mexico by Hugh Thomas. This in-depth narrative offers engrossing portraits of Cortes and Montezuma.

Cortes and Montezuma by Maurice Collis is about Montezuma II.

Montezuma: Warlord of the Aztecs by Peter G. Tsouras. Account of Montezuma's fall from absolute monarch to prisoner of the Spaniards.

The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico by Miguel Leon-Portillo. Includes accounts from native Aztec descendants across the centuries.

Moctezuma's Children: Aztec Royalty Under Spanish Rule, 1520-1700 by Donald E. Chipman. Though the Aztec Empire fell to Spain in 1521, the principal heirs of the last emperor, Moctezuma II, were later acknowledged as royalty. This history follows the family's fortunes across two centuries.

Night of Sorrows: A Novel by Frances Sherwood. Fictional account of the mysterious Malintzín, born as an Aztec princess and sold as a slave, and her dashing and ruthless lover-master, conquistador Hernán Cortés.

Children's Books

The Poet King of Tezcoco: A Great Leader of Ancient Mexico by Francisco Serrano, illustrated by Pablo Serrano. King Nezahualcóyotl was a brilliant poet, architect, and engineer. This book relates his amazing life and achievements in a combination of biography and poetry. For children ages 9 to 12.

Montezuma and the Fall of the Aztecs by Eric A. Kimmel, illustrated by Daniel San Souci. A picture book for children between the ages of 9 and 12.

Montezuma by Struan Reid. Children's book.

The Aztec Empire by Tony Allan. For children ages 9 to 12.

Canada

Majesty in Canada: Essays on the Role of Royalty edited by Colin Coates. Essays examining royal tours, vice-regal initiatives, representations of the sovereign's power, and more.

Canada's Queen: Elizabeth II by Patti Tasko. A celebration of Her Majesty's friendship with the people of Canada.

The Canadian Federalist Experiment: From Defiant Monarchy to Reluctant Republic by Frederick Vaughan. The author says Canada is clinging to the wreckage of an old aristocratic order while trying to provide republican equality.

On Her Majesty's Service: Royal Honours and Recognition in Canada by Christopher McCreery. Examines the history of marks of honour from the Crown, with complete lists of Canadian recipients and a section on heraldry.

Royal Canada by Trevor Hall. A history of royal visits to Canada since 1786. Published in 1989. Out of print, but available from Alibris.

Royal Observations: Canadians & Royalty by Arthur Bousfield. A light-hearted anthology of anecdotes about the royal families (French and British) of Canada. From Alibris.

Freedom Wears a Crown by John Farthing. Canadian political theory written by a monarchist. Published in 1957. From Alibris.

Greenland and Vinland

Books About Greenland
Books About Vikings in the Americas
More Books About the Vikings

Mexico

The Empress of Farewells: The Story of Charlotte, Empress of Mexico by Prince Michael of Greece, translated by Vincent Aurora. Born a Belgian princess, Charlotte (or Carlotta) married Emperor Maximilian of Mexico.

Recollections of Mexico: The Last Ten Months of Maximilian's Empire by Samuel Basch, translated by Fred Ullman. Samuel Basch was Mexican emperor Maximilian's personal physician. Written in 1868, this book has been translated from the original German by Basch's relative Fred D. Ullman.

Maximilian, Mexico, and the Invention of Empire by Kristine Ibsen. The Second Empire refers to the period (1864-1867) when Napoleon III sought to control Mexico by installing an Austrian archduke as Emperor Maximilian I. Resistance to the empire helped consolidate Mexican identity.

The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire by C. M. Mayo. Historical novel about the short, tragic reign of Emperor Maximilian.

DVDs About the Maya and Mexico

The United States

The King's Three Faces: The Rise and Fall of Royal America, 1688-1776 by Brendan McConville. American colonial society developed a political culture marked by strong attachment to Great Britain's monarchs.

The Genius of Impeachment: The Founders' Cure for Royalism by John Nichols. Argues that U.S. founders designed impeachment as one of the checks against executive power.

The Eagle & the Crown: Americans and the British Monarchy by Frank Prochaska. Examines American attitudes toward British royalty from the Revolution to the death of Princess Diana, arguing that the Founding Fathers created an elective king in the office of the president.

Crowning Glory: American Wives of Princes And Dukes by Richard Jay Hutto.

The Man Who Would Be King: The First American in Afghanistan by Ben Macintyre. The true story of Josiah Harlan, an American who forged his own kingdom in Afghanistan only to be ejected by the invading British.

Colonial Americans of Royal & Noble Descent: Alleged, Proven, and Disproven by Patricia Ann Scherzinger.

Our American King: A Novel by David Lozell Martin. Fiction. After the collapse of the U.S. federal government, a charismatic man called Tazza becomes king.

American-Born Wives of Foreign Royals:
Jordan: Queen Noor
Monaco: Grace Kelly
Sikkim: Hope Cooke
Westphalia: Betsy Bonaparte

Seminole and Miccosukee

Coacoochee's Bones: A Seminole Saga by Susan A. Miller. Relocated in 1841 from Florida to what is now Oklahoma, the Seminoles under chief Coacoochee resisted colonization. He led his people to Mexico, where they secured land.

Unconquered People: Florida's Seminole and Miccosukee Indians by Brent Richards Weisman. Who are Florida's Siminole and Miccosukee Indians and where did they come from? This book explores their culture through archaeology, historical documents and their own words.

The Black Seminoles: History of a Freedom-Seeking People by Kenneth W. Porter. The story of the Black Seminoles and their leader, Chief John Horse, which chronicles their struggle for freedom beginning in the early 1800s, when fugitive slaves joined the Seminoles.

Timucua

The Timucuan Chiefdoms of Spanish Florida: Assimilation (Florida Museum of Natural History, Ripley P. Bullen Series, Vol 1) by John E. Worth and Jerald T. Milanich. New hardcover explores the relationship between Franciscans and the rulers of the Timucua Indian tribe.

The Timucuan Chiefdoms of Spanish Florida: Resistance and Destruction by John E. Worth. Volume 2.

Chief Ouray: Ute Peacemaker by Diane Shaughnessy and Jack Carpenter. A children's book.

Wampanoag

The Name of War: King Philip's War and the Origins of American Identity by Jill Lepore. In 1675, tensions between Native Americans and colonists residing in New England erupted into King Philip's War, named after the leader of the Wampanoags. Lepore presents a balanced overview of the conflict. (This review © Amazon.com.)

Flintlock & Tomahawk: New England in King Philip's War by Douglas Edward Leach. Reprint of a classic account of a 17th century war between Native Americans and English colonists.

Brief History of King Philip's War, 1675-1677: Including Supplemental Material from Soldiers in King Philip's War by George M. Bodge.

Weetamoo: Heart of the Pocassets, Massachusetts, 1653 by Patricia Clark Smith. Fiction from the Royal Diaries series for children ages 9 to 12.

Other Native Americans

Abenaki Warrior: The Life and Times of Chief Escumbuit, Big Island Pond, 1665-1727: French Hero! British Monster! Indian Patriot by Alfred E. Kayworth. Novel about Escumbuit, the Abenaki chief who lived 1665-1727. Includes an account of Escumbuit's visit to Versailles, where he was knighted by Louis XIV.

Red Jacket: Iroquois Diplomat and Orator by Christopher Densmore is about the 19th century Seneca chief.

Ojibwa Chiefs, 1690-1890: An Annotated Listing by John A. Ilko Jr lists about 800 chiefs. Includes many biographical sketches.

Chief Joseph: Guardian of the People by Candy Moulton. Biography of the legendary Nez Percé (native American) leader who worked heroically to keep his people in their homeland in Oregon.

The Autobiography of Red Cloud: War Leader of the Oglalas by Red Cloud, edited by Charles Allen and R. Eli Paul. Autobiography of the only Native American leader ever to win a war against the United States.