For decades, US Black activists regaled audiences with stories of Haiti’s freedom and independence, establishing it as the ideal model for the Black freedom struggle. But by the late 1820s, this argument had become increasingly difficult to make. In 1825, France finally agreed to recognize Haitian sovereignty, but only after forcing the Haitian government into a disastrous agreement, known as the indemnity, which shackled the fledgling nation in a usurious and untenable financial arrangement. Forced to pay reparations for its independence, Haiti plunged into a devastating economic crisis. Black leaders in the US watched helplessly, but their passionate commitment never wavered. Instead, they faithfully defended Haitian sovereignty with the resolute belief that the Black republic would eventually fulfill their dreams.
In 1827, shortly after the indemnity’s repercussions had become painfully apparent, Black newspaper editors John Russwurm and Samuel Cornish celebrated Haiti’s rise as a free and sovereign nation. In their minds, Haiti was testament to the potential for the Black race across the globe. “We have seen the establishment of an independent nation by men of our own colour,” they wrote. “The world has seen it; and its success and durability are now placed beyond doubt.” Africanus, an anonymous correspondent to their newspaper, shared similar views months later, hailing Black self-governance and gloating about Haiti’s brilliant success. “The republic of Hayti,” he wrote, “exhibits a spectacle hitherto unseen in these modern and degenerate days: it is now demonstrated that the descendants of Africa are capable of self-government.”
By the early 1830s, conditions had dramatically worsened. In Haiti, the indemnity wreaked havoc throughout the country, causing economic depression and political instability. And in the US, as slavery rapidly expanded, American political leaders repeatedly denied Haiti’s sovereignty. Even so, Black activists steadfastly championed Haitian independence and insisted on Haiti’s right to global acknowledgment. In 1831, Maria Stewart lambasted white Americans for denying Haiti’s sovereignty and predicted that the country’s enemies would suffer the wrath of God. “You have acknowledged all the nations of the earth, except Hayti,” she wrote. “I am firmly persuaded that [God] will not suffer you to quell the proud, fearless and undaunted spirits of the Africans forever; for in his own time, he is able to plead his own cause against you, and to pour out upon you the ten plagues of Egypt.”