During times of war or revolution, many pretend the events of the outside world aren't happening, especially when they don't coincide with their belief systems, or they make up interpretations and formulas to reassure themselves. This behavior occurs throughout history and can be seen in the Haitian Revolution and the proceeding events of the late eighteenth century. The colonial powers had imposed their power and slavery on black people for over three centuries, but Haiti's sudden uprising was treated with disbelief and ignorance. Michel Trouillot in Silencing the Past argues that the complexity of issues surrounding the Haitian Revolution—from the European perception of black nations as inhumane to an inability to recognize black desires for freedom to mistakes in the white system—led to the overall silencing of the Revolution after its outbreak. Furthermore, the framework of the "unthinkable" revolution contradicts the morality of global powers and the validity ascribed in the......
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Approximate Word Count: 816
Approximate Pages: 4 (260 words per double-spaced page) |