Santo Domingo’s Slaves in the Context of the Peace of Basel: Boca Nigua’s Black Insurrection, 1796

Abstract

This article analyzes the black insurrection of Boca Nigua’s sugar mill in Spanish Santo Domingo in 1796, to show that any slave rebellion must be regarded as a direct consequence of the slaves condition, though external circumstances might favor them. I highlight the importance of those events, which must be identified as the first echo of Saint-Domingue’s revolution, in the eastern part of Hispaniola. First, I describe the theoretical framework of my research. Then, I study the penetration of news of Saint-Domingue’s revolution, and of the French revolutionary ideology in Santo Domingo since 1795. Third, I describe two black uprisings prior to Boca Nigua’s rebellion, as well as the situation within that plantation before the cited events. Finally, I analyze the development and outcome of the rebellion, focusing on the slaves’ plans, on the desertion of one of their leaders, and on the violent repression by colonial government.