Book contents
- Staging Haiti in Nineteenth-Century America
- Cambridge Studies in Modern Theatre
- Staging Haiti in Nineteenth-Century America
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- 1 Rebels and Refugees
- 2 The Lessons of Haiti
- 3 Virtuosity, Illegitimacy, and Haitian Royalty
- 4 Travesty and Transformation
- 5 Abolitionist Acts
- 6 Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
5 - Abolitionist Acts
Haitian Respectability, Oratory, and Celebrity Performance
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 18 November 2022
Book contents
- Staging Haiti in Nineteenth-Century America
- Cambridge Studies in Modern Theatre
- Staging Haiti in Nineteenth-Century America
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- 1 Rebels and Refugees
- 2 The Lessons of Haiti
- 3 Virtuosity, Illegitimacy, and Haitian Royalty
- 4 Travesty and Transformation
- 5 Abolitionist Acts
- 6 Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
This chapter examines the performances of Haitian revolution that could be marshalled from the pro-slavery ridicule of minstrelsy. Abolitionist political performances, ranging from petitions on Haitian recognition to oratorical celebrations of Toussaint Louverture, restaged Haiti’s revolution as a source for their own style of celebrity performance. In the process, abolitionists elevated the Haitian Revolution to iconic historical status while using it as underpinning for their own celebrated oratory.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Staging Haiti in Nineteenth-Century AmericaRevolution, Race and Popular Performance, pp. 150 - 178Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2022