Eric Williams (1911-1981) served as the first prime minister of independent Trinidad and Tobago beginning in 1962 until his death. The author of many books, Williams was a professor of social and political science at Howard University prior to entering politics.
In 1944 Eric Williams published his classic Capitalism and Slavery which sparked a scholarly conversation that has yet to die down. In many ways, the debates it generated are more vibrant now than ever and promise to be a lasting touchstone for historians well into the future.--Black Perspectivs