My reviewer agrees with my intended edits and understands how important this article is to understanding the Cuban Revolution. I will continue to go down the path I originally have set down on since my reviewer agrees with my intended edits.
I picked this article because it is a very interesting topic. The page itself is very thin, but it does have a disclaimer at the top about improvements with a translation from the Spanish version that has more information. Everything in the article is relevant to the topic, there is nothing distracting or out of place in terms of relevant information.
I would say that this article is neutral on a non-neutral subject. The article only talks about who the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo are, which showcases the brutality of the Dirty War. The article itself does not have a stance. the are not viewpoints under or over-represented. Many of the links are from news stories and articles written by journalists and the links do work. The sources do support the claims of the article. It seems that each fact is supported, but I could be missing some. The information comes from mostly news sites like previously stated. The bias is supporting the Grandmothers it is not noted. There is a lot of information that can be added, but that would require a translation from the Spanish article. There is not much talking, just fixing of links. The article is rated high and is a part of the Argentina Portal and the WikiProject Argentina. We acknowledge bias.
Lower class white people in Saint Dominique were also tired of the oppression and upper class rule that they faced. They were looking for a true democracy that was not centered around a single ruler. Saint Domingo was completely separate place than France, and should therefore be governed differently. The island should represented by the people who live there. The time has based where slavery is relied upon, and it it is a new day and age. Slaves and mulattos have every right to seek revenge for their horrendous previous treatment.
Question:
Why is race a central focus for the Haitian Revolution, and what purpose does it serve?
Answer:
One main reason why race is a central focus for the revolution is because European colonists had ingrained within their colonies the idea that race defines a person’s worth. This became especially relevant to Haiti, for an island whose population primarily consists of enslaved African descendants. This becomes even more clear when it is considered that the French “Code Noir” was a law regarding slavery that was named after a racial feature, meaning the two were virtually interchangeable.
Race served two main purposes in the revolution: rallying all black people behind the idea that their race is being liberated (not just slaves), and to direct hostilities towards white oppressors (as can be seen in the account on pages 91-95). In rallying fellow blacks to belittle whites, they were able to essentially turn the revolution into an equal playing ground for both races, rather than blacks being at a social disadvantage.
Question: What do the reactions to the Haitian Revolution tell us in regards to the cause of the revolution? What do these reactions tell us about Haitian society at the time in regards to race relations?
Answer: The primary sources give us a wide variety of opinions towards what was happening in Haiti at the time. Antoine Dalmas’ reaction, seen in his source on page 77), gives us a colonist’s perspective on the events. Dalmas makes an effort to portray the slaves as barbaric and their revolution lacking a just cause. An example of this is his reaction to the ritual before the revolution was to be carried out which involved the drinking of pig’s blood (78). Dalmas’ account can be seen as attempting to portray the revolution as something done simply out of desire for bloodshed, with his multitude examples of atrocities being committed. By attempting to portray these slaves seeking freedom from their life of servitude, we see a part of colonialist society that demonizes the slaves and finds their desire for freedom as unnecessary and excessive. This opinion is also seen in Olympe De Gouges’ primary source.
Gouges’ reaction to the revolution is similar to Dalmas’ as she directly condemned the actions of the slaves and people of color. Her reaction shows that she views the violent acts as unnecessary despite the horrible conditions met by the slaves (97). Gouges, unlike Dalmas, represents a mainland French perspective of the revolution, showing that those in France were trying to portray the Haitian Revolution as one done out of desire for violence. This was not the only opinion, though, as Thomas Clarkson’s account shifts the cause of revolution to slavery itself.
Clarkson’s reaction to the revolution points to the slave trade “as the real cause of all West Indian Insurrections”(102). Clarkson’s opinion differs heavily from Gouges and Dalmas because it attempts to justify the revolution, stating that the cruelty of slavery is the primary cause of the violence and that this violence is to be expected (102). This opinion reflects part of colonial society that condemned slavery and understood the reasoning behind the Haitain Revolution.
What was the role of women in the revolution?
The role of women during the revolution was not one of the main topics in the primary sources. Women were, of course, a part of the revolution as much as men were, but it was not shown as important as the men of the revolution. However, one primary source was solely on the women Olympe De Gouges, a playwright and “intellectual force before the French revolution. She is a huge advocate for abolition and was executed for her politics and activism. The ” Preface to The Slavery of the Blacks” was a play she wrote and highlighted the struggles of slaves and how slavery is cruel and inhumane.