I am reading a very interesting book about the end of the slave trade. Chapter Eight talks about Haiti and its unique history. There are questions about the actual impact
of Haiti on emancipation. Many point to the fear generated by the Haitian revolution
as a factor in delaying abolition. I was somewhat surprised by the fear of Haitian saboteurs and subversives. There may have been a few examples, but for the most part
Haiti has been plagued by internal strife and extreme cleptocracy. The cycle of political instability has also pushed away investors.
Was there a real prospect of Haitian subversion? At best the example of Haiti led to
hope for people being oppressed. The book notes that freed slaves sometimes looked to Haiti with pride. The truth was that the prospect of slavery and continuing a system
that was foul and evil created the threats of more upheavals.
One could probably cherry pick and find a whole litany of quotes about paranoid version of Haiti in the time period proceeding the Civil War. I am reminded of the paranoid delusions about Haiti when I think of those folks paranoid about theocracy
in the United States. The bottom line is Roe vs Wade is still here and there is zero
law breaking on a Church wide level. One might pick up a story about a lunatic going postal and shooting up a church. However, one can point to similar crimes in a fast food restaurant and jump to the conclusion was motivated by hatred of transfat. The crimes remain crimes but there aren't many of them.
Moreover, unlike Marxist far left Churches there has been no series of violation of the laws of the United States. The United States government should immediately launched a RICO action against the Churches that knowingly violated the laws of immigration. Ultimately these denominations are suffering from empty seat syndrome.
As the people exit or die off the far left rhetoric becomes more bellicose and irrelevant.
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Was there a real prospect of Haitian subversion?
Not that I know of. But there were a few slave uprisings in the South before the Civil War. The sheer numbers of slaves in the South, as compared to the rest of population, made it easy for people to be afraid of uprisings. I don't know if any Haitians were somehow involved in those uprisings. Maybe somebody else here has some historical facts on that.
See the second box down on the right HERE for a list of slave rebellions. I note the mention of Haiti in at least one entry in that box.
Found this at the Haitian link in my earlier comment:
The Haitian Revolution was influential in slave rebellions in America and British colonies. The loss of a major source of western revenue shook Napoleon's faith in the promise of the western world, encouraging him to unload other French assets in the region including the territory known as Louisiana. Many of the freed slaves of Saint-Domingue settled in New Orleans, profoundly influencing the history of that city. Britain became the first major power to permanently abolish the slave trade in 1807. Although many slaves in the United States attempted to mimic Toussaint Louverture's actions in the Haitian Revolution and failed in the end, the Haitian Revolution stood as a model for emancipation. Louverture remains as a hero and still appears in art.
Not related to your post, Beak, but your feedback would be most appreciated and your two cents:
http://misfit410.blogspot.com/2008/08/russiangeorgian-war.html
I think we're on the brink of a major war.
I am reminded of the paranoid delusions about Haiti when I think of those folks paranoid about theocracy
in the United States.
Actually, a better parallel for Haiti and abolitionism is with Soviet Union and Communism. Like Soviet Union's, Haiti's was a revolutionary regime that ended up oppressing and impovrishing its own people in far worse ways than "colonial" regimes ever did...
Haiti had the unfortunate developmental trait of French involvement, France being the sole "honorary member" of Western Civilization which contributed absolutely nothing to Western Civilization whatsoever.
Haiti, in its centuries of history including its time as a colony of France, has never been ruled by anyone that has a clue about what civilization actually is.
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