Ryan Williams
10/27/15

Refugees of the Haitian Revolution and Their Impact on New Orleans

Regions of Southwest Louisiana possess a very distinct culture that are commonly accredited to the French. Although this may be true it is also true that this area is strongly influenced by the refugees of Saint-Domingue during the Haitian Revolution. The Haitian Revolution occurred from 1791-1804, during this period thousands of refugees fled from this Island to other parts of the Caribbean. Eventually, New Orleans became the final stop for many of these refugees. The mayor’s report of January 18, 1810 published in the Moniteur de la Louisiane shows a chart shows the racial movement of 1809 compared to the population of Orleans Parish in 1806 and 1810 by racial caste. This is important because the influx of Haitian refugees further amplified the division of the already existing caste system in New Orleans among slaves, whites, and free persons of color.
This account of the refugee’s racial classification was very important during this time because the three main groups had different ranking in the caste systems, yet played pivotal roles in the development of New Orleans. According to Fiehrer “Saint Domingue took the form of an uneven triangle of power distribution, with the rich and officialdom at the top, the affranchise (free men) at one corner and the modest whites at the other. Excluded, from political participation at least, were the over half-million slaves” [Fiehrer.11]. As it is to be expected, the wealthier white members of the colony held the most power, recognizing the existence of the less fortunate whites and free people of color, but not giving them equal privelage. Originally Caribbean, the refugees initially fled to Cuba then later made a way to the Crescent city. This table shows the number of refugees from Saint Domingue by way of Cuba from each caste and their contribution to the population shift in New Orleans, adding up to about “9,000 in total” in 1809 alone [Paul La Chance.pg247]. The Montier de la Louisiane was a Newspaper that began publication in 1794, just three years after the start of the Haitian Revolution. The impact of the Revolution on daily life in New Orleans would’ve been a hot topic of this period, especially in terms of knowing about the refugees and the position they would be taking in the New World. In this society you had wealthy whites in the lead, free persons of color and middle/lower class whites in a similar caste, and slaves whose sole purpose was to serve and produce.
This hierarchy wasn’t unique to the Caribbean, this caste had been involuntarily implemented in many societies. However the intense inclusion of Free Persons of color as a separate group was not as heavily noted in other parts of the new world as it is in New Orleans. The influence of the Saint Domingue’s refugees both complimented and intensified an already heavily French system. It is stated that “during the French Revolution, the colony had 450,00 or more slaves; 40-45,000 whites… and at least 32,000 affranchis, or freedmen… a class that was not considered quite white, but surely was not slave” [Fieher.pg10]. This information, along with the chart posted in the Montier de la Louisiane reinstates the importance of this hierarchy in Caribbean Creole society which is later transferred into the new world. The reason for my intense focus on this subject are its origins, where a people (originally black and mulatto slaves) sought freedom and a better life. Learning how to work this system through self-education and diluting the African blood of their offspring, these people came to form a group that were deemed separate from both whites and blacks yet served as a middle ground for both worlds.
With the influx of Caribbean refugees there are examples of acceptance among the native Louisianans to treat them as part of the new world, these refugees were seen as victims of the revolution. During this period the Mayor of New Orleans called upon the people “to save from poverty certain persons of their own class”, further instilling in both the refugees and New Orleans natives a sense of kinship beyond what was already apparent based on phenotype and status [Lachance.114]. Certainly the migration of the refuges to members of their caste system happened organically, but given the data it is believed that whether or not it happened organically it was to be expected. When placing this table in its context, meaning 1809 New Orleans, this is a literal heads up to the people of this region of the current events. The Moniteur de la Louisiane was actually a publication started by a French man from Saint Domingue who knew the new colony needed current and accurate information on foreign affairs. To the literate population, which can also be translated to the predominately more affluent population, this was the equivalent of our social media. The literate population consisting of the privileged few, who needed to know the demographic of the new refugees in their area.
Often, historical fiction as well as non-fiction books such as Anne Rice’s Feast of All Saints or Lalita Tademy’s Cane River discuss the separation of whites, blacks, and people of color and their rankings in society with a nostalgic tone. This table, as well as information provided by Lachance and Fieher, solidifies the importance of the implementation of privilege and restriction amongst members of each group.

Bibliography
Brasseaux, Carl A. The Road to Louisiana: The Saint-Domingue Refugees, 1792-1809. Lafayette, La.: Center for Louisiana Studies, U of Southwestern Louisiana, 1992. Print.
"Refugee Movement of 1809 Compared to the Population of Orleans Parish in 1806 and 1810, by Racial Caste." Moniteur De La Louisiane 18 Jan. 1810, Mayor's Report sec. Print.