Haiti’s First Families in the Trans-Atlantic World (1791-1880)

Abstract

This dissertation examines the transnational experiences of the Toussaint, Christophe and Louverture families in the nineteenth century Atlantic World. These three families who resided in the United States, Great Britain and France created satellite Haitian communities based upon kinship and non-kinship networks between 1791 and 1880. The creation and maintenance of these communities founded upon shared language, culture, religion, and ideological principals is the principal focus of this dissertation. These communities would assist in the survival, acclimation, and at times mobility of transatlantic Haitians during the period. The most original research contribution of this dissertation reveals how these networks--previously unexplored by scholars of the Francophone Black Atlantic--were used by these Haitian first families to influence local, national, and international affairs. Finally, this dissertation seeks to complicate existing paradigms of race. On the one hand, these families were clearly exposed to racial inequality through their lived experiences as well as contacts with the institution of Atlantic slavery. On the other hand, they were prominent in name and property, allowing greater mobility and independence than their counterparts of color in the United States, Great Britain, and France. These first families deserve greater scholarly attention in the shadow of Haiti’s great revolution.