Constructing the Spanish Empire in Havana: State Slavery in Defense and Development, 1762–1835 , by Evelyn P. Jennings

Havana's military forts, built or expanded during the late 18th century to defend against British threats and bolster Spain's colonial ambitions, relied heavily on enslaved African labor—a practice historian Evelyn P. Jennings terms 'state slavery.' Her analysis reveals how the Spanish Crown systematically purchased, leased, and deployed enslaved workers for fortifications, infrastructure, and urban development, particularly after Britain returned Cuba in 1763. Using archival records from Seville's Archivo General de Indias and Simancas military archives, Jennings demonstrates that this state-sponsored slavery was pivotal in transforming Cuba into a plantation economy. Her work challenges conventional narratives by exposing the role of enslaved labor in both imperial defense and economic expansion, with implications for understanding colonial power dynamics and labor systems in the Caribbean.

Childs, Matt D. (2022). Constructing the Spanish Empire in Havana: State Slavery in Defense and Development, 1762–1835 , by Evelyn P. Jennings. New West Indian Guide / Nieuwe West-Indische Gids, 96(3-4), 387–388. https://doi.org/10.1163/22134360-09603026