History repeats the old conceits

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AUGUST 23, 2019

Engraving of Toussaint L'Ouverture revolting against the French in Saint-Domingue, France's name for colonial Haiti.Bettmann, via Getty Images

By Jamelle Bouie

On Aug. 14, 1791, at a large plantation about five miles outside of present-day Cap-Haïtien, Haiti, a number of enslaved men from the area gathered to plan a rebellion. On a set date, at a set time, they would attack their own plantations, simultaneously. After a false start — where white authorities stopped a preliminary attack but dismissed the idea of a conspiracy, revealed under interrogation — those men met again a week later, on Aug. 21. Deep in the woods, under the cover of night, at a site known as Bois Caïman, they took stock of their options and decided to act.

Later accounts would play up the drama of this meeting. Boukman Dutty, a leader of the insurrection, is said to have led the group in a Vodou ceremony, concluding with a speech to his co-conspirators. "Couté la libeté li palé nan coeur nous tous" — "Listen to the liberty which speaks in the hearts of all of us!"

The next day, on Aug. 22, the slaves revolted. Their uprising was the beginning of the Haitian Revolution, the most successful slave rebellion in history. It rocked the entire Atlantic world, embroiling three empires — the French, the British and the Spanish — and sending shock waves through American politics and society. It would culminate over a decade later in independence when Jean-Jacques Dessalines, a general who had been a slave, proclaimed the independence of the Republic of Haiti, with a constitution that abolished slavery and ended all distinctions of race.

One of my goals this year was to learn more about the revolution. Part of this is just that I like history. But part of it is a little more instrumental. I'm interested in the contrast provided by the Haitian Revolution. It was of a piece with the American and French revolutions, charged with the same Enlightenment values of liberty and equality. But where the Americans and French fought against the metaphorical "slavery" of monarchical rule, the Haitians battled actual slavery, fighting to liberate themselves from a brutal and cruel system of hereditary bondage.

The American revolutionaries spoke of universal rights and the fundamental equality of men. But they couldn't break with slavery — they couldn't see black Americans or Native peoples as part of the nation they were trying to build. The radical potential of the American Revolution faltered on a commitment to race hierarchy that would only grow as time progressed. By contrast, as a fight to overturn colonial domination and race hierarchy, the Haitian Revolution arguably came closest to fulfilling the promise of the Enlightenment.

Even more fascinating is how the Americans, the French and the British reacted to events in Haiti. The prospect of slave rebellion terrified American leaders and drove several Southern states to close their ports to the international slave trade for fear of revolutionary infection. Haiti also inspired rebellions and attempted rebellions in the United States, and the specter of another Saint-Domingue (the French name for the colony) haunted slave owners until emancipation.

After defeat at the hands of the Haitians, the French and the British recalibrated their colonial plans. "British and French governments and economic interest groups began to think that it might be more profitable to establish colonies in Africa itself," notes the historian Jeremy D. Popkin in "A Concise History of the Haitian Revolution," "where black labor could be regimented to produce for the European market without the moral stigma associated with the Atlantic slave trade." The rebellion in Haiti, then, was linked to the beginning of a new age of European imperialism, one that would touch the entire world.

In other words, Haiti is important. I'm going to spend more of this year trying to grapple with its place in modern history. Stay tuned! And I hope you'll think about joining me.

Currently Reading

Tom Holland on the Roman analogy in American political thought in the New York Review of Books.

Walter Shapiro profiles Elizabeth Warren in The New Republic.

Joshua Keating on the grim worldview driving anti-immigrant and anti-refugee politics around the world, in Slate magazine.

Alana Semuels on the precarious lives of the women in America's service industries, in Time magazine.

Ian Frazier recounts the time W.E.B. Du Bois made a laughingstock of one of America's most notable white supremacists.

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Currently Doing

A crosswalk at the University of VirginiaJamelle Bouie

I may have mentioned before that I sometimes spend my evenings wandering around town, looking for things to photograph. I've also been watching a lot of Michael Mann and recently rewatched his 2006 "Miami Vice" film for the third time. One of the most striking things about the movie is its look. Mann takes digital photography to its limits, using the low-light capabilities of digital sensors to do nighttime scenes with deep depth of field. I had that in mind when I took this photo. I mounted my camera (a Ricoh GR II) to a tripod, closed down the lens to its narrowest aperture and tried to take a photo that would emphasize the digital and capture as much detail as possible in the frame. I took it this at the University of Virginia, around 10 p.m. I think.

Now Eating: Farro Risotto With Sweet Corn and Tomatoes

There's still a ton of summer produce — and this is a great way to use it. If I'm making this NYT Cooking recipe for lunch, I'll pan-fry some chicken thighs (marinated in garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and fresh herbs) to go along with it. If I'm feeling luxurious, I'll go by the cheese shop and pick up some burrata. Either way, you can't go wrong.

Ingredients

3 ears fresh corn, husks and silk removed
kosher salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups thinly sliced leeks, white and light-green parts (1 to 2 leeks)
1½ cups pearled farro
½ cup dry white wine
1 cup cherry tomatoes (about 6 ounces), halved
¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan (about 2 ounces)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon or basil
1 teaspoon lemon zest

Directions

Using a sharp knife, cut the corn kernels off the cob, cutting as close to the cob as possible. Set the kernels aside and reserve the cobs.

Make the corn stock: Holding the cobs over a medium saucepan, use a spoon to scrape down the sides of the cobs to release any additional corn and juices. Break the cobs in half and add to the saucepan, along with 8 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes before starting the risotto. (Keep the stock and corn cobs simmering while you cook the risotto.)

While the corn stock simmers, heat the oil and butter in a separate pot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the leeks and sauté until tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the farro and stir for 1 minute. Add the white wine and simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Increase the heat to medium and gradually add the corn stock, about 1 cup at a time, to the farro mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, and adding more stock as the farro absorbs it.

When the risotto has been cooking for 15 minutes, add the tomatoes, corn kernels, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Continue cooking, adding stock as necessary and stirring often, until the farro is tender, 10 to 15 more minutes. (You will use most — if not all — of the corn stock.) The risotto is done when the farro grains are tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed.

Off the heat, stir in the Parmesan, tarragon and lemon zest. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

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