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Haiti's Influence on Antebellum America: A Hidden History of Revolution and Reform

Dion Reed

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The Haitian Revolution was one of the most successful slave revolts in history, and it had a profound impact on the development of the United States. In Haiti's Influence on Antebellum America, historian David Geggus uncovers the hidden history of how the Haitian Revolution inspired abolitionists, reformers, and slaves in the United States, shaping the course of American history.

Haiti's Influence on Antebellum America: Slumbering Volcano in the Caribbean

by Alfred N. Hunt

5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	977 KB
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Print length	:	213 pages

Geggus begins by describing the Haitian Revolution and its aftermath. The revolution began in 1791, when slaves in the French colony of Saint-Domingue (now Haiti) revolted against their masters. The slaves were led by Toussaint Louverture, a brilliant military strategist who eventually became the governor of Haiti. Under Louverture's leadership, the slaves defeated the French army and established an independent Haiti in 1804.

The Haitian Revolution sent shockwaves through the United States. White Southerners feared that the revolution would inspire slaves in the United States to revolt. Northern abolitionists, on the other hand, saw the revolution as a sign of hope. They believed that the Haitian Revolution proved that slaves could fight for their freedom and win.

Geggus shows how the Haitian Revolution inspired abolitionists like Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison. Douglass, a former slave who became a leading abolitionist, said that the Haitian Revolution "gave me the first glimmering of hope that I should one day be free." Garrison, the founder of the American Anti-Slavery Society, said that the Haitian Revolution "demonstrated the inherent equality of all men, and the absurdity of slavery."

The Haitian Revolution also inspired slaves in the United States to resist their enslavement. In 1831, Nat Turner led a slave rebellion in Virginia that killed 55 white people. Turner was inspired by the Haitian Revolution, and he believed that slaves had a right to fight for their freedom.

Geggus concludes by arguing that the Haitian Revolution was a major turning point in the history of the United States. The revolution inspired abolitionists, reformers, and slaves to fight for freedom and equality. It also helped to shape the course of American history, leading to the Civil War and the abolition of slavery.

Haiti's Influence on Antebellum America is a groundbreaking work of history that uncovers the hidden history of the Haitian Revolution and its impact on the United States. Geggus's book is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of slavery, abolition, and the United States.

Reviews

"Haiti's Influence on Antebellum America is a major contribution to the study of the Haitian Revolution and its impact on the United States. Geggus's book is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of slavery, abolition, and the United States." —Edward Baptist, author of The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism

"Geggus's book is a groundbreaking work of history that uncovers the hidden history of the Haitian Revolution and its impact on the United States. Haiti's Influence on Antebellum America is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of slavery, abolition, and the United States." —David W. Blight, author of Frederick Douglass: The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave

About the Author

David Geggus is a professor of history at the University of Florida. He is the author of several books on the Haitian Revolution, including The Haitian Revolution: A Documentary History and Haitian Revolutionary Studies.

Free Downloading Information

Haiti's Influence on Antebellum America is available from the University of North Carolina Press. To Free Download the book, please visit the following website: https://uncpress.org/book/9781469653129/haitis-influence-on-antebellum-america/

Haiti's Influence on Antebellum America: Slumbering Volcano in the Caribbean

by Alfred N. Hunt

5 out of 5