Abstract

From 1791 to 1804, revolution on the French Caribbean colony of Saint-Domingue sent thousands of free and enslaved people of African descent to the United States. Historians have largely viewed this migration as contributing to black community formation in cities like Philadelphia, and as evidence of revolutionary connections in an Atlantic World. This dissertation examines the experiences of these migrants as an example of competing identities among people of African descent, and argues that the emergence of an ethnic identity among black Saint-Dominguans, one shaped by Roman Catholicism and French language, impeded assimilation into African-American communities.

Using official and institutional documents such as manumission and census records, published primary documents including city and trade directories and newspapers, and a variety of secondary sources, this dissertation analyzes how, for many Saint-Dominguans of African descent, life in Philadelphia meant maintaining or recreating social networks defined by family, language, and religion. Well into the nineteenth century, these networks provided a basis for subsistence, and for some, allowed for a measure of prosperity. And as ethnic identity weakened, and social networks expanded to involve black Philadelphians, some Saint-Dominguans translated economic gains into membership in the black elite.

In comparing the experiences of black Saint-Dominguan migrants in Philadelphia with cities elsewhere in the United States, it is clear that regional and sectional variations in social, legal, and cultural conditions had a significant impact on the lives of these migrants. Both free and enslaved migrants of African descent throughout the northern United States had advantages regarding social and economic advancement over those in the South. This was due to slavery’s weakening hold in the North. Although enslaved Saint-Dominguans in the South may have experienced varying degrees of autonomy, enduring social and legal dependence on their masters severely limited this autonomy.

Historical and geographic contingency greatly influenced the black Saint-Dominguan experience in the United States. Understanding the interaction of these factors and the role of ethnic identity in black Saint-Dominguan refugee life does much to illuminate the diversity of the black experience in the United States.