African slavery in the Americas has left indelible marks on thegeographical, political, economic, social and cultural landscapes of theAmericas. An important part of that indelibility is marronage thatinvolved both flight from slavery and the establishment of freecommunities. This book is about the struggles of enslaved Africans inthe Americas who achieved freedom through flight and theestablishment of Maroon communities in the face of overwhelmingmilitary odds on the part of the slaveholders. Incontestably, Marooncommunities constituted the first independent polities from Europeancolonial rule in the hemisphere, even if the colonial states did notaccord them legal recognition.