THE HAITIAN REVOLUTION, PART IV
Last In a Series of Essays on The Haitian Revolution by Bob Corbett.
Napoleon's West Indian Policy and the Haitian "Gift" To The United States
Bob Corbett
September 1991
An introductory note: This essay really began in a remote village in the Bellefontaine region of southwest Haiti. I had walked into
this village from Kenskoff, one of the hardest things I've ever done in my experiences in Haiti. I was exhausted from a nearly 12
hour walk and quite frightened that I simply couldn't make the walk back out. I simply don't do mountains well and we had gone
up and down and over three mountains to get there.
But, over dinner a discussion came up in which the Haitians present were teasing me about how Haiti "saved" the United
States. I was fascinated. I didn't know this story. It certainly was not taught in my history courses in school.
When I did finally get back to the states, I started reading about this "saving" story. The glory of the tale is rooted in a late 20th
century view of the world. From that perspective little bitsy Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the world, by resisting
Napoleon's invaders, had saved the U.S. since Napoleon was really on his way to attack the huge and glorious U.S.
But, the real story, as set in the very beginning of the 19th century was much more glorious than the Haitians knew. Haiti was
the economic giant, the plum of Napoleon's empire, and the jewel around which he would build his empire. The then small and
less interesting U.S. would simply be a feeding ground for the slaves he intended to reinstate in Saint-Domingue.
Even after I researched and wrote this paper, and told the tale to many Haitians, they tend to still prefer the other story, which is
not nearly so glorious to Haiti as the true story. Odd. But that's the way it is!
Last In a Series of Essays on The Haitian Revolution by Bob Corbett.
Napoleon's West Indian Policy and the Haitian "Gift" To The United States
Bob Corbett
September 1991
An introductory note: This essay really began in a remote village in the Bellefontaine region of southwest Haiti. I had walked into
this village from Kenskoff, one of the hardest things I've ever done in my experiences in Haiti. I was exhausted from a nearly 12
hour walk and quite frightened that I simply couldn't make the walk back out. I simply don't do mountains well and we had gone
up and down and over three mountains to get there.
But, over dinner a discussion came up in which the Haitians present were teasing me about how Haiti "saved" the United
States. I was fascinated. I didn't know this story. It certainly was not taught in my history courses in school.
When I did finally get back to the states, I started reading about this "saving" story. The glory of the tale is rooted in a late 20th
century view of the world. From that perspective little bitsy Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the world, by resisting
Napoleon's invaders, had saved the U.S. since Napoleon was really on his way to attack the huge and glorious U.S.
But, the real story, as set in the very beginning of the 19th century was much more glorious than the Haitians knew. Haiti was
the economic giant, the plum of Napoleon's empire, and the jewel around which he would build his empire. The then small and
less interesting U.S. would simply be a feeding ground for the slaves he intended to reinstate in Saint-Domingue.
Even after I researched and wrote this paper, and told the tale to many Haitians, they tend to still prefer the other story, which is
not nearly so glorious to Haiti as the true story. Odd. But that's the way it is!
In it's strongest form the popular Haitian version of this story is that Napoleon Bonaparte had a secret plot to take the United
States. On this view General Leclerc and his troops would first stop off briefly at Saint- Domingue to put down Toussaint
Louverture and his upstart revolutionaries, then move on to French Louisiana, which would serve as a base from which to harry
the southern parts of the United States. Thus the successful Haitian resistance is seen as having saved the United States. I will
refer to this theory as the linear plot, since it moves right along in a line from France, to Saint-Domingue, to New Orleans to
Washington. (2)
A seemingly weaker version of this plot theory is that Napoleon wished to establish a strong hold in the West Indies for France
and that recovering control over Saint-Domingue, its richest colonial holding, was crucial for this program. Then near-by French
Louisiana could be a source of food supply for the more productive and economically more attractive Saint- Domingue,
ensuring a strong contribution to France from its West Indian holdings. I will call this view the Saint-Domingue-center view,
since the colony of Saint-Domingue is the core of the policy and New Orleans is merely a supply outpost.
States. On this view General Leclerc and his troops would first stop off briefly at Saint- Domingue to put down Toussaint
Louverture and his upstart revolutionaries, then move on to French Louisiana, which would serve as a base from which to harry
the southern parts of the United States. Thus the successful Haitian resistance is seen as having saved the United States. I will
refer to this theory as the linear plot, since it moves right along in a line from France, to Saint-Domingue, to New Orleans to
Washington. (2)
A seemingly weaker version of this plot theory is that Napoleon wished to establish a strong hold in the West Indies for France
and that recovering control over Saint-Domingue, its richest colonial holding, was crucial for this program. Then near-by French
Louisiana could be a source of food supply for the more productive and economically more attractive Saint- Domingue,
ensuring a strong contribution to France from its West Indian holdings. I will call this view the Saint-Domingue-center view,
since the colony of Saint-Domingue is the core of the policy and New Orleans is merely a supply outpost.
Visit: htt://www.webster.edu/CorbetandHaiti
To finish reading the rest of this essay and many
more of Bob Corbet from Webster University>>>
To finish reading the rest of this essay and many
more of Bob Corbet from Webster University>>>
It is general folk knowledge in Haiti that Toussaint Louverture
and the Haitian revolutionaries saved the United States from
being invaded by Napoleonic forces in 1803. This popular lore
surfaces often in discussions with Haitians, particularly when
the speakers are complaining about later U.S. policy and
treatment of Haiti.
The general suggestion is that the United States was indeed
saved almost single handedly by the Haitians, and that the U.S.
is extremely ungrateful for the service rendered it. Further, I've
often heard this point raised to underline the ignorance that
Americans typically have of the relative importance each nation
held on the stage of world politics in 1802-03.
Certainly the French colony, Saint-Domingue, and the early
Republic of Haiti, played a much more important role in
Caribbean and world politics than does present day Haiti. The
major powers of the region, France, Britain, Spain and the
United States, were slave owning, slave trading nations. They
faced serious threats from a non-slave nation, particularly one
whose citizens were former slaves who had risen up and
defeated the major powers in a revolutionary struggle.
and the Haitian revolutionaries saved the United States from
being invaded by Napoleonic forces in 1803. This popular lore
surfaces often in discussions with Haitians, particularly when
the speakers are complaining about later U.S. policy and
treatment of Haiti.
The general suggestion is that the United States was indeed
saved almost single handedly by the Haitians, and that the U.S.
is extremely ungrateful for the service rendered it. Further, I've
often heard this point raised to underline the ignorance that
Americans typically have of the relative importance each nation
held on the stage of world politics in 1802-03.
Certainly the French colony, Saint-Domingue, and the early
Republic of Haiti, played a much more important role in
Caribbean and world politics than does present day Haiti. The
major powers of the region, France, Britain, Spain and the
United States, were slave owning, slave trading nations. They
faced serious threats from a non-slave nation, particularly one
whose citizens were former slaves who had risen up and
defeated the major powers in a revolutionary struggle.
The French, of course, regretted the loss of an enormously rich
colony. The British feared the impact of the Haitian Revolution on
Jamaica and her other slave colonies. The U.S. worried about the
impact of the servile revolution on the south of its own nation. Spain
had lost her colony of Santo Domingo, next door to Saint-Domingue,
and feared the spread of her influence to Puerto Rico and Cuba.
Yet the major powers had their own problems with one another.
While Saint- Domingue/Haiti (1) loomed far larger in international
significance that present day Haiti, nonetheless, there was no
uniform resistance among the four major powers. They each had
various problems with one another, often in relationship to Haiti, and
thus could not come to exert a unitary resistance. The Haitian
Revolution became a tool to be manipulated by the major powers in
their own struggles with one another, while, at the same time, each
tried to gain its own advantages vis-a-vis the new republic.
colony. The British feared the impact of the Haitian Revolution on
Jamaica and her other slave colonies. The U.S. worried about the
impact of the servile revolution on the south of its own nation. Spain
had lost her colony of Santo Domingo, next door to Saint-Domingue,
and feared the spread of her influence to Puerto Rico and Cuba.
Yet the major powers had their own problems with one another.
While Saint- Domingue/Haiti (1) loomed far larger in international
significance that present day Haiti, nonetheless, there was no
uniform resistance among the four major powers. They each had
various problems with one another, often in relationship to Haiti, and
thus could not come to exert a unitary resistance. The Haitian
Revolution became a tool to be manipulated by the major powers in
their own struggles with one another, while, at the same time, each
tried to gain its own advantages vis-a-vis the new republic.
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