American Attitude toward White Saint Dominguan Refugees : Sensibility and the Relief Project in 1793

This article is about American attitude toward white refugees from Saint Domingue during the early years of the Haitian Revolution. It focuses on the charity project taken place in 1793. In the summer of that year, about 15000 refugees rushed into American cities because of the turmoil of the capital of Saint Domingue. This article pays special attention to the surge of interest in “sensiblity” during the 18th century. The term sensibility denoted an innate susceptibility to others’ suffering. This article shows how the pitiful state of the refugees appealed to Americans’ sensibility. American newspapers at that time depicted the situation of the distressed refugees sentimentally. In result, the slave rebellion which was going on in Saint Domingue was drained of political implications and perceived as a mere tragedy. This transition resulted in three outcomes. First, white Saint Dominguans, who had been blamed for the devastation of Saint Domingue, were suddenly victimized after the summer of 1793 and gained Americans’ sympathy. Second, shared compassion and the relief project toward refugees appealed to patriotic sentiment in American society. Third, shared sensibility toward refugees’ plight made the federal government assist voluntary associations under public funding, regardless of the French officials’ objection. However, sensibility toward the whites’ suffering obscured the cause of the slaves who stood up for their freedom in Saint Domingue. Thus, this article offeres a nuanced explanation of the Americans’ disregard of the revolutionary meaning of the Haitian Revolution in its early stage.論文Article