Making Waves

The West Indian impact on the United States goes far beyond the human and natural resources mined and exploited during slavery in the New World. And even though the West Indies and the US are inextricably linked by these binding influences, much untapped information still exists. Many stories are yet untold of the Caribbean men, women and islands that have had an impact on American history, politics, economics and culture before that period and long thereafter. In Making Waves: How the West Indies Shaped the United States, Debbie Jacob gives a surprising, vivacious account of the West Indian influence beginning in the 17th century. From Peter Stuyvesant, the last Dutch governor of New Amsterdam, and renowned West Indians such as Alexander Hamilton, Marcus Garvey, Oscar de la Renta, Bob Marley and Sidney Poitier, to famous Americans such as George Washington, John Hancock and Oliver Perry, stories of island power emerge. Making Waves highlights the ingenuity and significance of the West Indies and features the crucial yet little known role that Barbados played in winning the American Revolutionary War and causing the US Civil War. West Indians founded US cities; sparked witch hysteria, created movie magic and an NFL star.