How Did The Haitian Revolution Affect Slavery

The Haitian Revolution was a massive revolution of the slaves against the French that occurred from 1791 to 1804 in Haiti (known as Santo Domingo at the time). The Haitian Revolution was the largest and the most successful slave rebellion in history which lead to the abolition of slavery in its territories and to the influence of slavery in many parts of the world, the United States included. Although the Haitian Revolution impacted slavery in the South of the United States, it is important to consider other significant factors that, similarly to the Haitian Revolution, had an effect on slavery. Thus, to a moderate and reasonable extent, the Haitian Revolution had an effect on slavery in the South of the United States because other aspects

As previously mentioned, refugees from escaped from Haiti to the United States. One of the cities mentioned was New York city and according Bradley, a slave revolt resulted in nineteen executions in which suspected perpetrators were burned alive or hanged (Bradley 9). There is a moderate possibility that these perpetrators were influenced by the refugees from Haiti however this was only the beginning of the influence of the Haitian Revolution. Later on, the information about the Haitian Revolution moved to the South where many slaves planned revolts. A famous slave rebellion was the Denmark Vesey rebellion. Organized by a free carpenter in Charleston, South Carolina (a city previously mentioned where refugees from Haiti migrated to), Denmark Vesey constantly read information related to Santo Domingo (Haiti) in the newspaper and during that time period, the Haitian Revolution “held a prominent place in the public memory of both free and enslaved black southerners” (Matthew 34). His plan for the revolt was to “organize hundreds of Charleston’s free and enslaved black individuals who planned to fire the city and murder the white residents, fill ships in the harbor with money and supplies and set sail for Haiti where they would join forces” (Matthew 33). Hence, the revolution spurred Vesey’s mind which is why he was able to have enough confidence to start a rebellion in a period of time when slaves were

According to Bradley, the leader of the indigenous American antislavery movement, Samuel Hopkins, achieved his greatest success with the publication of the Dialogue on Slavery which was later dedicated to the First Continental Congress (Bradley 82). Therefore, by doing that, Hopkins provided the first step to abolition in the South of the United States. However, similarly to all the past slavery revolts in the United States, the antislavery activists failed to make “the issue integral to national security” (Bradley 82). The abolitionists consisted and were dominated by religious groups who did not believe in slavery such as the Quakers, Baptists, Methodists and Presbyterians. In addition, the newspaper had an impact on slavery during the same time period. Abolitionists and antislavery’s voice appeared in the pages of the newspaper in order to bring to the nation the real truth about slavery (Bradley 82-83). In spite of the fact that in the beginning the antislavery voices were not heard through the newspapers because the newspaper voices were dominated by the pro-slavery individuals, individuals such as Hopkins found the courage to pass through the barriers and make a voice for other abolitionists activists. In conclusion, the Haitian Revolution, to an extent, had an impact on slavery in the South by influencing slaves throughout the United States and spurring several