“The fires of liberty”: American abolitionist perspectives on the Haitian revolution, 1791–1806

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article explores how American abolitionists reacted to the Haitian Revolution between the start of the Revolution in 1791 till the passage of Congressional legislation banning trade with Haiti in 1806. Abolitionists' reactions to the Revolution illustrate some of the unifying and dividing ideas deeply imbedded within the abolition movement. The Haitian Revolution did not create the divisions between abolitionists, but rather brought to the forefront divides that had already existed from the formation of the movement. Importantly, this article illustrates how dichotomic framings of American abolitionism as either radical or conservative are insufficient to explain the diversity of thought within the movement, as reflected in abolitionists' reactions to Haiti.