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.