WesternCiv105Ch18Lec9
Summary
TLDRThe script discusses the complex history of slavery and the movement to end it, highlighting the paradox of anti-slavery activists who held racist views. It touches on the Haitian Revolution and the Dominican Republic's ethnic diversity, emphasizing the impact of colonialism on racial hierarchies. The script also delves into the Enlightenment's legacy, including the 'Code Noir', which regulated the treatment of slaves in French colonies, and its stark contrast to Enlightenment ideals. The discussion aims to explore the intertwining of historical events, racial identity, and the enduring effects of colonialism.
Takeaways
- đ There were individuals in history who opposed slavery but still held negative views about people of color.
- đ The movement to end slavery was complex, with Britain able to politically end it while the United States experienced a devastating Civil War.
- đ„ The instructor plans to show a video clip about the Dominican Republic and Haiti to illustrate the legacy of Western colonialism on ethnic diversity.
- đ The island of Hispaniola, home to both Dominican Republic and Haiti, was divided into Spanish and French spheres, influencing racial identity and hierarchy.
- đ„ Racial self-identification in the Dominican Republic differs from that of Black Americans, reflecting a complex history of racial mixing and hierarchy.
- đ The book 'Haiti: History and the Gods' is mentioned as a resource for understanding the Haitian Revolution and its connection to Enlightenment thought.
- đïž The Enlightenment had a dual legacy, promoting ideas of equality while also producing the 'Black Code', a set of laws that regulated the brutal commerce of enslaved Africans.
- đ The 'Code Noir' was a product of the Enlightenment that was ignored by its philosophers and is often omitted from historical accounts.
- đż The 'Code Noir' is a stark example of how the most heinous aspects of the slave trade were deeply embedded in colonial law and society.
- đ The instructor will discuss the British in India, European-Asian encounters, the Haitian Revolution, and the Irish Rebellion, connecting these historical events to broader themes of colonialism and identity.
Q & A
What was the main issue with people attempting to end slavery in the past?
-Many people who were against slavery still held negative views about people of color, which created its own set of problems.
How did Britain end slavery compared to the United States?
-Britain ended slavery politically, whereas the United States had to go through a Civil War, resulting in the deaths of half a million people, before slavery was abolished.
What is the significance of the island separating into Spanish and French spheres in the context of the Dominican Republic and Haiti?
-The separation led to different cultural and ethnic compositions, which influenced the development of racial hierarchies and identities in these regions.
Why does the speaker want to show a video clip about the Dominican Republic and Haiti?
-The speaker wants to illustrate how the Western Legacy continues to impact ethnic diversity and identity in the Atlantic World.
What is the connection between the Haitian Revolution and the Enlightenment?
-The Enlightenment's ideals of liberty and equality influenced the Haitian Revolution, despite the fact that the philosophes of the time ignored the barbaric practices of the Black Code.
What is the Black Code mentioned in the script?
-The Black Code, or Code Noir, was a set of laws established by Louis XIV in 1685 that regulated the treatment and commerce of enslaved Africans in the French colonies.
Why is the Black Code significant in understanding the humanitarianism of Montesquieu and Rousseau?
-If Montesquieu and Rousseau had included the French code of laws in their reflections on slavery, it would have contradicted their highest truths about liberty and equality.
How does the speaker plan to integrate the discussion of the Black Code with the Enlightenment?
-The speaker intends to discuss the Enlightenment's positive contributions while also acknowledging its shortcomings, such as the philosophes' ignorance of the Black Code.
What is the speaker's intention in discussing the British in India and the Encounters of Europeans and Asians?
-The speaker aims to explore the colonial impact and the interactions between Europeans and other cultures, which were influenced by the colonial period's ingrained racial hierarchies.
What does the speaker plan to cover after discussing the Haitian Revolution and the Irish Rebellion?
-The speaker plans to move on to the next chapter after quickly going through these topics, indicating a shift in focus to new material.
Outlines
đ Historical Struggles with Slavery and Ethnic Diversity
The paragraph discusses the complex history of the movement to end slavery, noting that while many opposed slavery, they still harbored racist views. It points out the irony of figures like Thomas Jefferson, who espoused equality while owning slaves. The speaker plans to show a video clip about the Dominican Republic and Haiti to illustrate ethnic diversity in the Atlantic world, emphasizing the historical separation into Spanish and French spheres and the resulting racial hierarchies. The paragraph also mentions the Haitian Revolution and the Enlightenment's impact on ideas of freedom and equality, contrasting the lofty ideals with the brutal reality of the Black Code, a set of laws that regulated the treatment and trade of slaves in French colonies.
đ The Black Code: A Dark Chapter in Enlightenment History
This paragraph delves into the Black Code, a set of laws from the Enlightenment era that regulated the treatment of slaves in French colonies. It contrasts the humanitarian ideals of philosophers like Montesquieu and Rousseau with the harsh realities of the Black Code, which was ignored by the philosophes and is often overlooked in historical accounts. The speaker highlights the code's role in establishing a legacy of racial discrimination and the inhumane treatment of slaves, which has been largely forgotten or ignored in discussions of the Enlightenment. The paragraph also sets the stage for a discussion on the British in India, European encounters with Asia, and the Irish Rebellion, indicating a broader exploration of colonialism and its impacts.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄSlavery
đĄRacism
đĄEthnic Diversity
đĄDominican Republic
đĄHaitian Revolution
đĄEnlightenment
đĄBlack Code
đĄRacial Hierarchy
đĄIdentity
đĄColonialism
Highlights
The movement to end slavery was complex, with some abolitionists holding negative views about people of color.
Britain ended slavery through political means, contrasting with the United States' Civil War.
The island of Hispaniola separated into Spanish and French spheres, influencing ethnic diversity.
Dominican Republic and Haiti have distinct racial identities despite sharing an island.
Racial hierarchy in the Dominican Republic is influenced by historical mixing of elites with locals.
The Haitian Revolution is a significant event in the context of ethnic diversity and identity.
The Enlightenment's legacy is mixed, with important ideas coexisting with barbaric practices like the Black Code.
The Black Code was a product of the Enlightenment, yet ignored by its philosophers.
The Black Code's impact on understanding humanitarianism and the reflections of Montesquieu and Rousseau.
The Black Code has never been published in English and is often overlooked in historiography.
The colonial period's ingrained aspects, including the treatment of non-Europeans as inferior.
The video clip from the Dominican Republic is used to reflect on Western Legacy and racial identity.
The speaker's daughter's family experience as part Haitian is used to illustrate personal connections to the topic.
The British in India and their encounters with Europeans and Asians are part of the broader colonial narrative.
The Irish Rebellion is briefly mentioned as another aspect of European colonial encounters.
The speaker plans to cover a lot of topics quickly to move on to the next chapter.
Transcripts
okay so uh essentially um last ending
with the fact that there were people
that were attempting to end slavery
um
unfortunately many of the people that
were wanting to end
slavery weren't
necessarily not
racists they had negative views about
um people
of color but they didn't necessarily
believe that slavery would be okay okay
and so
um that that has its own sense of
problems but again there was a movement
to to end it and um you know Britain's
going to be able to end slavery by
simply ending it um politically uh we're
going to kill half a million of
ourselves in the United States um before
we can get that um done
um so yeah that's uh uh just I want to
mention about this for
now um ethnic diversity in the Atlantic
World Latin America and Brazil so we've
already kind of talked about this and
what I'm going to do is uh I'm going to
show you a video
clip from Dominican
Republic that then talks about Dominican
and Republic in Haiti keep in mind that
um that Island
uh uh ends up separating into Spanish
and French
spheres and um the reason why I want to
show you this video is again is I want
you to see where this Western Legacy
still has played out on some of the
topics I've talked about it with
identity I'm going to have you watch a
documentary
clip um uh also on the Haitian
revolution um and I was trying to think
where I wanted to place this topic and
where I wanted to place this video but I
think I'll put it right here where we
deal with uh ethnic diversity
um uh in the Atlantic world and you know
it's
interesting
um that uh you
have what what white American would
consider black people in Dominican
Republic to don't consider themselves
black and actually have racist views
about
blacks and a lot of that has to do with
the ethnic composition i s the way that
Elites from these countries would mix
with locals and create kind of a a
racial hierarchy okay that's something
that was talked about in the book and so
um you know I want you to think about
that in context to the video I'm going
to show you from what I've talked about
with my own uh uh daughter's family
experience as being part Haitian okay
um but then also uh I want to read this
one uh section here from a book I have
called Haiti history and the gods and
we're going to be covering the
enlightenment um which I'm going to
actually speak for the most part quite
highly of or you know you know uh in
many positive ways when we go next into
discussing that at the same time there's
a relationship between all of what's
going on here what we're learning in
this section and the Enlightenment and
things that we need to kind of think
about that aren't often integrated into
this so just like the United States has
this amazing Legacy right where
Jefferson says all men are created equal
when he said men he didn't say humans as
in men and women and he didn't really
mean all humans are created equal either
he had slaves
but his idea what he said is important
to the world it affects the world in a
positive way what he said his own action
didn't fully reflect that that's kind of
what I'm going to also talk about with
the enlightenment a little bit as we go
with this but from this
text it says here in March
1685 at Versailles Louis the 14th the
Sun Sun King presided over the
completion of what would be his Minister
Jean Baptist kar's greatest creation the
Cod Noir or edict regarding the
government and the administration of the
French islands of America and the
discipline in the Commerce of black
blacks and slaves in the said
countries and uh 20 years earlier uh um
he this detex says colar had formed the
campaign the company of the West Indies
which sent French slavers into Africa
shipping Africans to the Americas and
return to France with coffee sugar and
tobacco what we just were talking about
uh these Commodities the black code the
most barbaric product of the
Enlightenment was ignored by the
philosophes these are uh who we're going
to learn about in the next chapter and
later forgotten or more precisely never
mentioned then says the black code
provides the context for understanding
the
humanitarianism uh of monu and rouso had
they allowed the French code of laws
into their Reflections on servitude
slavery and nature it would have made a
mockery of their highest
truths in 300 years the black code has
never been published in English but but
more
significant um as Lou Salah Molin uh
reminds his French readers the worst
refinement and wickedness the most
glacial uh technicality in the Commerce
of human flesh and in genocide remains
so difficult to find that has vanished
from
historiography
um
and uh in any case uh I just kind of
wanted to point that out and then
uh that this this was not just some sort
of accidental or consequential
aspect of the colonial period but
centuries ingrained into it and
ingrained into the people that are then
going to be a part of these uh uh
Colonial worlds that are of backgrounds
that are going to be seen as inferior
to um non Europeans I mean to to uh
Europeans um so I'm going to put on this
clip and I want you to reflect on it
we're then going to talk about um the
British in
India and I'm going to move on then uh
from there talking about um the
Encounters of Europeans and Asians the
switch there and then we're going to I'm
talk about Haiti's Revolution mixed with
the United States and then I'm going to
cover um the Irish re Rebellion quickly
I'm going to try to actually kind of go
through a lot of these um relatively uh
quickly at this point um and then we'll
move on to the next chapter
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)