‘Savages in the midst’: revolutionary Haiti in international society (1791–1838)

Abstract

In 1804, the former French colony of Saint-Domingue, now Haiti, became independent. The first modern state born of a successful slave revolt was then isolated diplomatically until well into the 19th century. Although the country occupied the minds of contemporary diplomats, colonial authorities, and intellectuals, and had a complicated relationship with the society of states, historical accounts of the expansion of international society into the Atlantic have largely ignored Haiti’s early independence. This can be attributed to the literature’s sparse consideration of colonialism, the institution of slavery, race, commerce, and abolitionism in the expansion process. The Haitian case reveals the advantages of incorporating all of these insights and offers a more nuanced and complicated picture of the encounter between Haiti and international society.