Haiti

Washington, Dist of Columbia

Untitled Jefferson, terrified of the revolution in Saint-Domingue, referred to Toussaint's army as cannibals. Fearful that black Americans would be inspired by the events in Haiti, Jefferson attempts to close off any contact, and therefore any movement of information, between the American mainland and the Caribbean island. An inveterate Francophile, Jefferson calls upon Congress to abolish trade between the United States and what in 1804 becomes the independent country of Haiti, arguing that France believes it still owns the island.

by Jeff Moran