Kadejah Smith, Book Review
Author: Ashli White
Publisher: John Hopkins University Press
Publish date: February 26, 2010
Title: Encountering Revolution: Haiti and the Making of the Early Republic
Ashli White’s Encountering Revolution examines the impact that the Haitian Revolution had
on the United States and the making of its early American republic (9). White approach these
connections by acknowledging the similarities between the U.S. and Saint-Domingue, the
conflictions of philanthropy in America, the confusion white Americans had about the refugee’s
political alliances, the fear of an African/colored people’s rebellion, and the events which cause
the influx of Saint-Dominguan refugees and their slaves to America. She argues that because
Saint-Domingue had problems, America began to build their new republic in order to seem like
the example country. White is a good author because she uses primary sources to give integrity
to her claims, she uses smooth transitions, she provides an essay on her sources, and she uses
metaphors to compare ideas. White’s choice of using primary sources, transitions, a source
essay, and metaphors is important to the reader because these things helps the reader to
completely understand her points and trust her work.
White begins her book by discovering similarities between Saint-Domingue and America,
particularly their urban areas, and explains how America became Saint-Dominguans new home.
The two societies “were both slave societies, had contentious relationships to their respective
metropoles, and they both saw the rise of colonial elites who wanted to assert their status” (11).
The Saint-Domninguans were forced to make America their new home because otherwise they
would have been caught in the crossfire of the slave rebellion in their home. This move or influx
of Saint-Dominguans from their home to America soon resulted in a big change in America.
After reading newspapers about the terrible experience Saint-Dominguans had gone through,
America decided to feed off their despair and make themselves seem like the better and more
loving country for selfish purposes. This desire to be the example and leading country began the
build of a new republic.
As America tried their best to be the ideal country, they came across many ideas and
problems. The first was philanthropy. America felt that by requiring philanthropy, or the love of
mankind, they would be the better country because they will care for all neighbors including
migrants. Having philanthropy would provide financial aid for the migrants travel to the “better
country”, America. Moreover, since philanthropy is the love of mankind, new problems were
birthed, such as how to approach philanthropy with slaves. There were very few people in
America during the 1790’s that were anti-slavery, nonetheless; William Wilberforce, a leader in
