Week Five

Monday:
1. Code of Noir: In this reading selection, it's very clear that the French are attempting to remove anything familiar to the natives so that they are more likely to depend on the French/their masters. All other religions are prohibited except Catholicism in order to prevent any outside influences from affecting the thoughts/actions of the native people. I also found it interesting that in quickly reading this document, it seems as though the natives do have rights. I feel as though this was probably a tactic of the government to make the slaves believe that they have rights but then there are passages that completely contradict this. Fro example, when the code states that no black, baptised or not, will be buried in a "holy place" but in an unknown field near where they perished. One last thing that caught my attention was when the code states that if a master dies the slaves will be manumitted but that they are still required to be respectful to the master's family or they will be severely punished. So, even though they were technically free, they were still required to be humble and subservient to the whites.
2. Description...of the French Part of the Island of Saint Domingue: Like we discussed in class, I did find it interesting how the author was constantly using science as the reason behind certain characteristics in the mulatto class. In the second half of this selection, the author discusses a ritual and describes the mulattoes as "weak souls surrender themselves to a dangerous kind of domination". The author talks about this ritual as if it is something that takes over their bodies when they really do not want any part of it. I feel like this was most likely a part of the culture and the people who took part were willing participants and these "miseries" the natives suffer are actually his own opinion.
3. Letter to Those Who Love Mankind: I completely agree with the overall message of this letter. That by refusing the slaves their freedom, the government will be in more danger of creating an uprising/more animosity instead of creating a more stable, loyal group of people. The longer the slaves go without freedom, the more they realize that if they want any sort of justice/liberty, they will have to take matters into their own hands. The part were the author gives the numbers of blacks versus the number of whites was amusing to me. Without actually making a threat, he is letting the whites know that they are clearly outnumbered and they should be more thoughtful of their actions and choices concerning the freedom of the slaves.
Tuesday:
1. Observations on the Origin...Men of Color: It is very clear that the author does not consider slaves in the same class as the free people of color and does everything he can in this writing to distance himself from the slaves and define the mulattoes as a completely different, more sophisticated class of people worthy of their freedom. His definition of a mulatto is proof that it was much more common for a white man and a black women to have a child together instead of a white woman and a black man. He definitely exaggerated on some of the facts given in order to push forward his own agenda.
2. History of the Revolution: It is very obvious that Dalmas is against the negres and their desire for freedom in the way that he describes their actions. If this were the only account of the revolution, it would seem as if the negres were blood-thirsty savages yet cowardly. He refers to them as ignorant and stupid. I feel that they must not be that stupid if they were able to meet in secret, against the code, and organize this revolt against the whites. Also, that their resolve to win their freedom was not shaken despite the severe consequences they would have to face if they did not succeed. It is clear from this writing that it is impossible to take away an individuals or group of people's culture and beliefs.
3. Reports from the Insurrection: I didn't really have too many thoughts about this reading selection. The main thought that I had was that through these letters, we can see that the slaves and mulattoes came to realize, despite the French's efforts to convince them otherwise, that they were just as or even more capable than the whites and that if they chose to fight that they had a chance of winning their Independence.
Thursday:
1. The Abolition of Slavery: Throughout this whole selection, my only thought is, if they, the white government, desired for slavery to end for "quite some time" then why did it take so long? This meeting/ceremony was all it took to declare slavery abolished so it would have been very easy for them to do it at an earlier period of time. Maybe they weren't able to do it before, not for lack of want, but maybe they wanted to have a majority of the colony supporting them in the decision.
2. The Constitution of Saint Domingue: In this reading, it is apparent that the idea of God ordaining a leader for the country was being rejected and, as we discussed in class, the decision was now based more upon social characteristics and not on skin color/bloodlines.
3. Haitian Declaration of Independence: I felt like this was a very motivating selection and if I were a Haitian/slave at that time, I would definitely want to fight for my freedom. The way the author describes the French as "tigers dripping with our blood" and "vulture" also gives a negative connotation and probably causes more of a desire in the people to rid themselves of French control. I really liked the line where he says something to the effect of how they should not let their success and their anger cause them to define themselves as the authority of the Caribbean but they should let their neighbors dwell by their own established rules. This gives the impression that although the author is ready to die fighting the French, he is also humble and understands the need of Independence and liberty within a community.
4. The Haitian Constitution: I feel like the beginning of the constitution is trying to promote economic Independence and growth by ruling that all Haitians must know a trade and that if they go bankrupt or their business fails they will be denied citizenship. It seems a bit harsh but it is definitely a motivation to study and learn a trade so that the economy can grow and the country will prosper. Also, the crown is elected based of social characteristics. Even though this seems like a positive document, I did notice that the people still do not have a say in who is elected to rule, but instead, a certain committee of people choose the ruler. I don't know if the people chose the members of the committee or not, it doesn't really say. It seems as though they have more freedom than they did when the French had control, but they still do not seem to have complete freedom in terms of government elections.
5. Letters: These letters are strange to me. I cannot remember correctly so correct me if I'm wrong but it seems as if it was Thomas Jefferson who was complaining about Europe dumping all their "undesirables" in America and now he wants to do the same elsewhere?? It is also interesting to me that the whites always feel as if they have their slaves completely under control and then there are letters like this that show a more fearful side of the whites. As long as they can continue to intimidate the slaves, everything will work out but as soon as the slaves decide to band together against the masters and the government it will be total chaos. It is clear that Jefferson is worried that the slaves in America will become more aware of the revolution occurring in Saint Domingue and be influenced to do the same.