Description
Book SynopsisThis book examines how competing narratives about the Haitian Revolution influenced American public culture during the Civil War. It argues that both antislavery and proslavery groups appropriated the symbols of Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian Revolution in their attempts to determine the fate of slavery in the United States.
Trade Review"Exploring the ambiguous and contested place of Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian Revolution in American political and cultural life, [Matthew Clavin] contends that Haiti's influence extended well into the nineteenth century and was a significant factor in shaping American understandings of their Civil War. . . . A well-written, deeply researched study that extends and deepens our understanding of the connections between two nations whose destinies were so closely entwined during the era of slavery." *
Journal of American History *
"
Toussaint Louverture and the American Civil War demonstrates beyond a doubt just how much attention the Haitian Revolution received in the United States between 1791 and 1865, from both whites and blacks, from the North and the South alike, and from abolitionists to fire-eaters. Elegantly written and deeply researched, this gripping account is filled with insight about America's fascination with Louverture and his rebellion." * Douglas Egerton, author of
Death or Liberty: African Americans and Revolutionary America *
"
Toussaint Louverture and the American Civil War is a challenging and provocative study that asks us to think much more broadly both about the political culture of antebellum America and about the coming and meaning of the Civil War." * Steven Hahn, author of
A Nation Under Our Feet: Black Political Struggles in the Rural South from Slavery to the Great Migration *
Table of ContentsIntroduction
Chapter 1. "The insurrection of the Blacks in St. Domingo": Remembering Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian Revolution
PART I. OPENING THE CIVIL WAR OF WORDS
Chapter 2. "He patterned his life after the San Domingan": John Brown, Toussaint Louverture, and the Triumph of Violent Abolitionism
Chapter 3. "Contemplate, I beseech you, fellow-citizens, the example of St. Domingo": Abolitionist Dreams, Confederate Nightmares, and the Counterrevolution of Secession
PART II. A SECOND HAITIAN REVOLUTION?
Chapter 4. "Liberty on the Battle-field": Haiti and the Movement to Arm Black Soldiers
Chapter 5. "Emancipation or Insurrection": Haiti and the End of Slavery in America
PART III. NATIONS WITHIN A NATION
Chapter 6. "Many a Touissant L'Overture amongst us": Black Identity
Chapter 7. "A Repetition of San Domingo?": Southern White Identity
Chapter 8. "Do we want another San Domingo to be repeated in the South?" Northern White Identity
Conclusion
Notes
Index
Acknowledgments
