398

1026 HISTORICAL ANNOTATION

1970), 241-44; Heinl and Heinl, Written in Blood, 239-40, 229-301, 303-09; Logan,
Diplomatic Relations of the United States with Haiti, 397-99, 426-47.

450.7 Clyde steamer] One of the ships owned by the Clyde Steamship Line,
based out of New York and operated by William P. Clyde. Pitre, "Frederick Douglass
and American Diplomacy," 457-75.

450.8 Gonaives] The port town of Gonaives is on the west coast of Haiti. Cohen,
Columbia Gazetteer, 1:1131.

450.25 Kingston, Jamaica] The capital city of Jamaica, Kingston was settled fol-
lowing the destruction of Port Royal, a former haven for buccaneers and thieves, by
an earthquake in 1692. Growth was rapid, and by 1703 Kingston was the chief seat
of trade on the island. In 1872 it became the nation's capital. Brian Rajewski, ed.,
Cities of the World: A Compilation of Current Information, 4 vols. (London, 1999),
2:309; Cohen, Columbia Gazetteer, 2:156-7.

450.25-26 the desired letter of credence arrived] In his dispatch to Secretary of
State James G. Blaine on 18 February 1891, Douglass reported the incident in which
the Haitian foreign minister demanded additional credentials before initiating negotia-tions with Admiral Bancroft Gherardi for the desired naval base lease at Mole St.
Nicholas. After nearly two months' delay, a letter from President Benjamin Harrison
dated 9 April arrived in Haiti about 18 April 1891. The letter of credence authorized
Gherardi to negotiate for the naval station. Brown, Black Diplomat in Haiti, 2:71-75.
100-104.

451.38 rood] A medieval term measuring a plot of land, or a roodland.

452.1-2 This sentiment originated ... her national existence] Coming under
French rule in 1697, Haiti prospered thanks to forestry and sugar-related industries.
The abolition of slavery in France following the French Revolution in 1789 inspired
Haiti's half-million black slaves to revolt. In a series of violent uprisings led by the
ex-slave-turned-general in the French army, Toussaint L'Ouverture, slaves killed
white planters and razed estates. By 1801 he controlled the entire island, and abol-
ished slavery through a new constitution. In retaliation the French emperor, Napoleon,
sent seventy warships and 25,000 men to Haiti to surpress the uprising. Although
Toussaint L'Ouverture was captured and eventually died in a French prison, his suc-
cessor, Jean Jacques Dessalines, continued the struggle. In 1803 the French army,
decimated by disease, surrendered. Haiti declared its independence on 1 January
1804. Laurent Dubois, Avengers of the New World: The Story of the Haitian
Revolution (Cambridge, Mass., 2004), 1-6; Timothy L. Gall, ed., Worldmark
Encyclopedia of the Nations, 5 vols. (Detroit, 2004), 3:250-51.

452.19-21 It more than ... destiny of Haiti] Douglass was well aware of the hawk-
ish stance taken by the major New York City newsparers regarding U.S. acquisition
of the Mole St. Nicholas. The New York Times was the most explicit in its assertion
that U.S. control of the Mole was akin to dominance of the Haitian nation. The 25
February 1891 issue of the Times stated that Haitian president Florvil Hyppolite's
refusal to cede the Mole was rooted in fear of losing power. Other New York papers