On Monday, Feb. 2, the History Department hosted Dr. Ron Johnson for a lecture about the similarities between the American and Haitian Revolutions. Johnson argued that although these events are often portrayed as completely different, they are actually very similar: both revolutions centered on a struggle for freedom and equality. He emphasized that the key difference was that, in the Haitian Revolution, those values were proclaimed by enslaved Africans, not merely treated as rights reserved for white men.
According to Johnson, the Haitian Revolution was as equally significant as the American Revolution that came just a few years before.While Haitian revolutionaries were fighting for the same foundational values that U.S. revolutionaries had proclaimed only a few years earlier, the U.S. remained largely indifferent and even allied with white planters to suppress Haiti’s push toward freedom, a hypocritical action given America’s own struggle for freedom against British tyranny.
Johnson said this hypocrisy showed up early: President George Washington sent military supplies to help white planters quell the Black rebellion, because a slave-led nation next to a country built on slavery would be dangerous to the institution at home. At the same time, the U.S. was ambivalent in its approach to Haiti: it supported Toussaint to weaken France, but it also supported white planters, both because France was weakening and because the U.S. feared the Haitian Revolution would inspire a slave rebellion at home. Thus, although the Haitian Revolution mirrored the American Revolution in multiple ways, the U.S. stayed largely indifferent to Haiti’s claim to the same rights of freedom and equality for which Americans had fought. As Johnson emphasized, “we are all equals,” a truth that he said slavery directly undermined.
Johnson explained that, in addition to remaining indifferent to the Haitian Revolution, the U.S. sided with white planters and fixated on Black violence and the “brutality” of the revolution.The white land-owning founding fathers of the U.S. could relate to oppressing Black people and even sympathized with the idea of being “punished” for it. Still, Johnson described how some Americans such as Abraham Bishop disagreed with Washington’s position and supported the Haitian Revolution. Bishop pointed to the Declaration of Independence to show that the American and Haitian revolutions had similar causes and intentions and emphasized that the U.S. should have allied with Haiti.
Johnson highlighted how, even today, the Haitian Revolution is treated separately from the American Revolution. He pointed to the idea that false and discriminatory narratives neglect the fact that Haiti had a great revolution that mirrored the American one.
Johnson also discussed how Americans never forgave Haiti for being a Black republic. The Africans enslaved in America were held under the pretext that they were inferior, barbaric and too “uncivilized” to rule themselves, but this idea was undercut by Haitian revolutionaries’ successful revolt. Johnson theorized that this success undermined some of the justifications for slavery and risked exposing the U.S. as hypocritical.
He added that, following the revolution, France forced Haiti to pay for “damages” and alleged stolen property from white planters, leading to crushing debt. At the time, the U.S. refused to recognize or trade with Haiti, and later, the U.S. Marines imposed military rule that set the stage for some of the most dangerous dictatorships to take power. Haiti was punished for that great revolution at least in part because it was a largely Black country.
Johnson emphasized that these issues are rooted in history, and that history can help us get to the bottom of them. He added that it is therefore unjust to judge Haiti’s current situation without a historical lens. To do so would result in the perpetuation of unjust stereotypes and a denial of history.
Tchanori Kone ’29, a history student, connected with this point. She thinks it’s useful in our current political situation, saying, “We often hear about corruption in Haiti in the news, and this lecture provided insight into Haiti’s history.” For her, the lecture was a reminder of the importance of considering the nation through a historical lens.
Nancy Kuoh ’29 was especially impressed by Toussaint Louverture’s role as a “protector of whites” and the image he presented to Americans. Kuoh noted that he claimed to have protected several white women from the brutality of the revolution, and he repeatedly presented himself to Americans as a protector of whites.. He tried to assure Americans that white people would be safe in Haiti after the revolution. In doing so, he undermined the stereotyped image of enslaved Black people by showing he was strategic, legitimate, and politically competent.
Louverture won Haiti’s independence and had his writings published while claiming the same rights Americans claimed for themselves. Painting himself as a “white protector” was strategic: it could help him gain some U.S. support and calm white fears in the U.S. about a Black republic. He appealed to Americans using their own proclaimed values, rights and freedom. He understood how Americans were likely interpreting the revolution, and he tried to quell their fear while appealing to what he framed as a common cause.