THE WORLD SINCE 1492

Study Guide for Week 8

ASSIGNMENTS

1. TOUSSAINT L'OUVERTURE, François Dominique. Documents of the Haitian Revolution, from Toussaint L'Ouverture (1973), ed. George F. Tyson.

Born in St. Domingue (the French portion of Hispaniola) around 1774, Toussaint's father and mother were Catholic converts and slaves who performed skilled labor. Prior to the Haitian revolution, Toussaint was a slave who served as a steward of livestock. In 1791, he joined--and soon led--the black uprising against slavery. Toussaint fought against the French until the Assembly's abolition of slavery in 1794. In 1797, Toussaint became Commander-in-Chief of the French armies in St. Domingue, and led the army against the Spanish and British. In 1801, Toussaint proclaimed himself Governor General of St. Domingue, and in 1802 Napoleon sent a military expedition to remove Toussaint and restore slavery. In June of that year, Toussaint was arrested and taken to France. On 7 April 1803, Toussaint died in his prison cell. In 1804, under the command of Dessalines, Christophe, and Petion, the armed people of St. Domingue defeated the French. St. Domingue became the independent state of Haiti.

i.. "Letter to the Directory, 28 October 1797." For this reading, click here.

ii. "Dictatorial Proclamation," from Victor Schoelcher, Vie de Toussaint Louverture. Paul Ollendorf, Paris, 1889. translated by Mitch Abidor for marxists.org (2004). For this reading, click here.

2. as-Saffār, Muhammad.  Disorienting Encounters: Travels of a Moroccan Scholar in France in 1845-46 (1992), ed. Susan Gilson Miller

In December 1845, a Moroccan scholar named Muhammad as-Saffār traveled to Paris as secretary to the Ambassador ‘Abd al-Qadir Ash`āsh, who was sent on a special diplomatic mission by the Moroccan Sultan ‘Abd ar-Rahman. During his journey, as-Saffar took careful notes and when he returned home he wrote his account. An accomplished man of letters, as-Saffār embellished his manuscript with original observations, poetry, quotations from the Qur’an and Hadith (traditions about the Prophet), proverbs, jokes, anecdotes, and other Arabic literary flourishes that mark it as the work of a scholar. You are reading two passages from as-Saffār’s translated text: part of his journey on land from Marseilles to Paris and some of his experiences in Paris itself.  This reading is in two parts. For the e-reserve copy of part 1 of this reading, click here.   For the e-reserve copy of part 2 of this reading, click here.

QUESTIONS

 

1. Based on the assigned readings, what expectation does Toussaint have about what labor and employment will be like in post-emancipation Saint Domingue?

 

2. In the Letter to the Directory, 28 October 1797, Toussaint L'Ouverture is responding to a report filed by General Rochambeau on social and political conditions in Haiti. What explanation does Toussaint provide for the conditions described in General Rochambeau’s report?

 

3. Identify one thing discussed in the as-Saffār text that was likely comprised of materials made or cultivated outside of France or Western Europe. In other words, identify one item that represents the circulation of things from elsewhere into France.  For the item you choose, briefly support (with evidence and/or reasons) your judgment that the item was not something “local” and then state where you think the item (and/or materials that make up the item) came from.

 

4.a. According to as-Saffār, what tasks are required to produce a book at the printing press, and how are the workers organized within that production process?

 

4.b. According to as-Saffār, how are changes in communication technologies influencing society and politics in mid-century France?