Haiti, formerly known as Saint Dominigue, was on of France's most profitable colonies in the eighteenth century for its production of sugar, coffee, indigo, and cotton, all made possible by the massive slave labor force. With numbers around 500,000, the slave population out numbered the French colonists ten to one. In 1791 Toussaint I'Overture (pictured above), a former slave, led the slave revolution that would end slavery in Saint Dominigue and over throw the French colonists. The revolution lasted until 1804, and in the process 100,000 black dies as well as 24,000 whites. The revolutionaries were able to hold off the French and aiding British forces. I'Overture even led his forces to the neighboring Spanish colony, Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic). There he ended slavery and named himself Governor General of the island. Unfortunately, soon after, I'Overture was capture by French forces and he was imprisoned, where he would die in 1803. By 1804 Saint Dominigue, under command of I'Overture's general, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, declared its independence and renamed itself Haiti.
Haitian independence was not recognized by the French until 1825. The USA didn't recognize Haitian independence until 1862. The United States did not abolish slavery until 1865, and Thomas Jefferson, a slave owner himself, worried about slave revolts in the US, hence the USA's lack of acknowledgement.
The image of the Haitian slave revolution was was called forth in Herman Melville's Benito Cereno, whom cleverly named one of the featured ships in the work after Saint Dominigue. Amasa Delano refuses to acknowledge that the slaves aboard the ship are capable of a revolution until the action erupts in his face. Delano mirrors the United States' response to the Haitian Revolution: he ignores it because it interferes with his best interests.
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I think it is also important to recognize the fact, as you had stated, that Blacks outnumbered Whites 10 to 1. This implies a false sense of security simply because it was assumed that Blacks were incapable of performing these revolutions. As in Benito Cereno, the Whites failed to notice the underlying motives behind Black movement and merely disregarded the thought that the slaves could possibly want to live any other way due to the belief that they were naturally inclined to perform certain acts with innate skill.
ReplyDeleteBabo is also paralleled within this story as Toussaint I'Overture may also have been taken down by the French forces, as Babo had died in his story, but his rebellion still played an important role in the story. It shows how Blacks are able to go against Whites at any time and succeed.
I think it's excellent that Melville references the Haitian revolution in "Benito Cereno" as well as comparing the successful revolution with the ultimately failed one committed by Babo. I also think it is important to know that before the book was published in 1855 that there were a few high profile slave revolts on ships which involved the United States Supreme Court to weigh in on the defense's claim that they should be considered free and returned to their homeland. Abolitionist defense had successfully argued for the defense of the "Amistad" case in 1841, and another case was won in 1845 regarding the slave ship "Creole." Given that during Melville's time of publication, he focused on Amasa Delano's case as inspiration of "Benito Cereno," a story of a slave revolt on a ship but had the case in favor of Delano rather than for the African slaves.
ReplyDeleteWhat I have to wonder, then, is if by drawing the real life parallels and more positive reception towards slave revolts on ships to two events that occurred in the past which included one failed slave revolt and one successful rebellion, is if Melville is confronting readers to how differently similar events were received back then and to have them remember a past when the chance to support the an end to the slave trade and to slavery itself could've happened if America had acknowledged Haiti or if Delano's case could've been galvanized others to seek justice.