Level One:
1. Who wrote this document?
David Geggus in Unit 8 wrote the document “The Bois Caiman Ceremony”. “The Bois Caiman Ceremony” comes from Haitian Revolutionary Studies, Indiana University Press (2002) pp.81-92. David Geggus is a history professor at the University of Florida who specializes in the Haitian revolution and Latin American studies. David Geggus obtained his Ph.D in 1979 from York Univesity, England, and his masters from University of London. Mr. Geggus received his B.A. from Oxford University in 1971. Geggus joined University of Florida Department of History in 1983 after holding several research positions at the Universities of Southampton and Oxford. He has published six books and hundreds of academic articles. David Geggus is a leading researcher on the Haitian revolution
2. Who is the intended audience?
David Geggus intended his book Haitian Revolutionary Studies to be for students and researchers interested in an independent and bipartisan view of the accounts of the Haitian revolution. The document “The Bois Caiman Ceremony” is in Daid Geggus’s book Haitian Revolutionary Studies that seeks to discuss how the Haitian revolution transformed the Caribbean’s wealthiest colony into the first independent state in Latin America.
3. What is the story line?
David Geggus’s draws a tremendous amount of evidence from six different countries on the slave uprising that humiliated three colonial powers. Gennus’s essays explore main issues of conflict, black rebellion, and relations between slaves and free people of color. In this document David Geggus discusses the Boid Caiman Ceremony and its importance to the slaves plan for their final revolt. Geggus describes the Bois Ciaman ceremony as a voodoo ceremony that involved the sacrifice of a pig that ignited the revolution. Geggus also describes the details of the beginning of the revolution and the meeting between the conspirators in the beginning.
Level Two
1. Why was this document written?
David Geggus wrote the document “The Bois Caiman Ceremony” because he wanted to educate society about the significance of the beginning of the Haitian revolution. The Bois Caiman Ceremony at the beginning of the revolution was quite complicated and contained multiple conspiracies on when and how to start the rebellion. Geggus’s strategy was to convey the complexity and sophistication of the Haitian slaves during the rebellion.
2. What type of document is this?
This document is a chapter in David Geggus ‘ book Haitian Revolutionary Studies. The documents purpose is to educate those who are interested in knowing about he significance of the Haitian revolution and the Bois Caiman Ceremony. This textbook is in the History genre and it is expected that David Geggus ‘ are legitimate documents are approved volumes.
3. What are the basic assumptions made in this document?
All documents make assumptions that are bound up with their intended audience, with the form in which they are written, and with their purpose. Some of these assumptions are so integral to the document that they are left unsaid, others are so important to establish that they form a part of the central argument.
David Geggus assumes that the testimonials and comments in his sources are accurate. He also bases some of his statements off of his own research, such as the statement “To