Synopsis of Bibliographic Review

            When I initially began to approach the topic of the Haitian Revolution, I had thought to examine it through the lens of the various nations that had an interest in the event. It quickly became apparent to me that the scholarship on this subject does not run in this manner. Most of the secondary sources that I have read approach the Haitian Revolution as a type of event (e.g. racial, economic, or political) and then present individual perspectives that reinforce the favored typology. I found it interesting that even primary source compilations can be found to favor this typological approach through careful selection of the materials presented (this is made possible by the enormous volume of official and personal correspondence that surrounds this event). I have therefore chosen my subjects for this synopsis accordingly. The earliest piece, The Black Jacobins by C.L.R. James, portrays the Haitian Revolution as being a social event that was inextricably linked to the French Revolution. The second piece, The Avengers of the New World by Laurent Dubois, sees the Haitian Revolution as being primarily a racial conflict that occurred as a reaction to the brutality and oppression that occurred in the colony. The third piece, You Are All Free by Jeremy Popkin, views the Haitian Revolution as a political event that was deeply intertwined with the geopolitical realpolotik of the times. Taken together, these works do not stand in conflict with one another but, rather, constitute the pieces of a puzzle that can work together  to form a complete picture.

            The Black Jacobins, by C.L.R. James was published in 1963.  As its title would suggest, this book presents the Haitian Revolution as a type of extension of the French Revolution. Indeed, in his introduction, James even draws a link between the revolutionary events in France and Haiti to the post colonial emancipation of Africa that was under way as the book was being published. There is even an appendix in my edition entitled From Toussaint L’Overture to Fidel Castro which, although rather dated at this point, is a wonderful representation of James’ linkages of revolutionary events. According to James, in San Domingue “The slaves worked the land and, like revolutionary peasants everywhere, they aimed at the extermination of their oppressors.” Although the idea of the slave as “revolutionary peasant” may be a somewhat incomplete concept in terms of the Haitian Revolution, James’ work still serves to create a valid perspective from which to view this event.

            Avengers of the New World, by Laurent Dubois, is a much more recent work, having been published in 2004. Dubois sees the Haitian Revolution as primarily a slave uprising that occurred as a result of the excessive cruelty of the white planter class. By choosing to approach the Haitian Revolution through the lens of slavery, Dubois weds himself to the idea that this was primarily a racial conflict. Indeed, he implies as much when states that “The insurgents of 1791 were enormously diverse – women and men, African-born and Creole, overseer and fieldworker, slaves on mountain plantations and sugar plantations – and carried with them many different motivations, hopes, and histories. Using violence against a violent system, they shattered the economy of one of the richest regions of the world.” Although Dubois’ vivid portrayal of racial conflict reshaping an entire society can thoroughly address the origins of the Haitian Revolution, we must turn to another lens entirely to address the emergence of a new nation that would occur 13 years after the initial slave revolt took place.

            You Are All Free, by Jeremy Popkin, is the most current of the three works, as it was published in 2010. Interestingly, Popkin departs from the Dubois model early on by dating the Haitian Revolution, not from the initial slave uprising, but from a political event – the decision by France to rescind the freedom that had been granted the colony’s slaves the previous year. Popkin envisions the Haitian Revolution as an event that influenced and was influenced by the international political machinations of the time. His main assertion is that the birth of Haiti would have been impossible, without the simmering tensions between the United States, Great Britian, and France. He even gives the United States credit for saving the nascent revolution during a critical point. By stating that “by continuing to trade with the French-held parts of Saint Domingue even after the destruction of Cap Francais and the emancipation of the slaves, [the] Americans helped Sonthonax and Polverel hold out long enough for Toussaint L’Overture to make up his mind to join them”, Popkin is drawing attention to the fact that this revolution could not have succeeded but for assistance from other nations, and that such assistance was a result of a confluence of political events taking place outside of the island.

            I feel that it is best to view these works as complementary to one another. Any event as complex and as lengthy as the Haitian Revolution cannot be thoroughly assessed through a single lens or a single type of experience. Although there are, doubtless, many more facets of the Haitian Revolution that these authors do not delve into, I feel that these three perspectives form a general picture of the main currents of scholarship in the contemporary dialogue surrounding the history of the Haitian Revolution.

Dubois, L. (2004). Avengers of the new world. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

 

James, C.L.R. (1963). The black jacobins. New York: Random House.

Popkin, J. (2010). You are all free. New York: Cambridge University Press.