Blue coat or powdered wig : free people of color in pre-revolutionary Saint Domingue

By The Late 1700s, Half The Free Population Of Saint Domingue Was Black. The French Caribbean Colony Offered A High Degree Of Social, Economic, And Physical Mobility To Free People Of Color. Covering The Period 1776-1791, This Study Offers The Most Comprehensive Portrait To Date Of Saint Domingue's Free Black Elites On The Eve Of The Colony's Transformation Into The Republic Of Haiti. Stewart R. King Identifies Two Distinct Groups That Shared Saint Domingue's Free Black Upper Stratum, One Consisting Of Planters And Merchants And The Other Of Members Of The Army And Police Forces. With The Aid Of Individual And Family Case Studies, King Documents How The Two Groups Used Different Strategies To Pursue The Common Goal Of Economic And Social Advancement. Among Other Aspects, King Looks At The Rural Or Urban Bases Of These Groups' Networks, Their Relationships With Whites And Free Blacks Of Lesser Means, And Their Attitudes Toward The Acquisition, Use, And Sale Of Land, Slaves, And Other Property. King's Main Source Is The Notarial Archives Of Saint Domingue, Whose Holdings Offer An Especially Rich Glimpse Of Free Black Elite Life. Because Elites Were Keenly Aware Of How A Bureaucratic Paper Trail Could Help Cement Their Status, The Archives Divulge A Wealth Of Details On Personal And Public Matters. Blue Coat Or Powdered Wig Is A Vivid Portrayal Of Race Relations Far From The European Centers Of Colonial Power, Where The Interactions Of Free Blacks And Whites Were Governed As Much By Practicalities And Shared Concerns As By The Law.--jacket. Pt. 1. The Colony And Its People. Ch. 1. The Notarial Record And Free Coloreds. Ch. 2. The Land. Ch. 3. The People. Ch. 4. Free Coloreds In The Colonial Armed Forces -- Pt. 2. The Free Colored In Society And The Economy. Ch. 5. Slaveholding Practices. Ch. 6. Landholding Practices. Ch. 7. Entrepreneurship. Ch. 8. Non-economic Components Of Social Status. Ch. 9. Family Relationships And Social Advancement -- Pt. 3. Group Strategies For Economic And Social Advancement. Ch. 10. Planter Elites. Ch. 11. The Military Leadership Group. Ch. 12. Conclusion. App. 1. Family Tree Of The Laportes Of Limonade -- App. 2. Surnames -- App. 3. Incorporation Papers Of The Grasserie Marie Josephe -- App. 4. Notarized Sale Contract For A House. Stewart R. King. Includes Bibliographical References (315-320) And Index. "By the late 1700s, half the free population of Saint Domingue was black. The French Caribbean colony offered a high degree of social, economic, and physical mobility to free people of color. Covering the period 1776-1791, this study offers the most comprehensive portrait to date of Saint Domingue's free black elites on the eve of the colony's transformation into the republic of Haiti.". "Stewart R. King identifies two distinct groups that shared Saint Domingue's free black upper stratum, one consisting of planters and merchants and the other of members of the army and police forces. With the aid of individual and family case studies, King documents how the two groups used different strategies to pursue the common goal of economic and social advancement. Among other aspects, King looks at the rural or urban bases of these groups' networks, their relationships with whites and free blacks of lesser means, and their attitudes toward the acquisition, use, and sale of land, slaves, and other property.". "King's main source is the notarial archives of Saint Domingue, whose holdings offer an especially rich glimpse of free black elite life. Because elites were keenly aware of how a bureaucratic paper trail could help cement their status, the archives divulge a wealth of details on personal and public matters.". "Blue Coat or Powdered Wig is a vivid portrayal of race relations far from the European centers of colonial power, where the interactions of free blacks and whites were governed as much by practicalities and shared concerns as by the law."--BOOK JACKET. By the late 1700s, half the free population of Saint Domingue was black. The French Caribbean colony offered a high degree of social, economic, and physical mobility to free people of color. Covering the period 1776-1791, this study offers the most comprehensive portrait to date of Saint Domingue's free black elites on the eve of the colony's transformation into the republic of Haiti. Stewart R. King identifies two distinctive groups that shared Saint Domingue's free black upper stratum, one consisting of planters and merchants and the other of members of the army and police forces. With the aid of individual and family case studies, King documents how the two groups used different strategies to pursue the common goal of economic and social advancement. Among other aspects, King looks at the rural or urban bases of these groups' networks, their relationships with whites and free blacks of lesser means, and their attitudes toward the acquisition, use, and sale of land, slaves, and other property. King's main source is the notarial archives of Saint Domingue, whose holdings offer an especially rich glimpse of free black elite life. Because elites were keenly aware of how a bureaucratic paper trail could help cement their status, the archives divulge a wealth of details on personal and public matters. Blue Coat or Powdered Wig is a vivid portrayal of race relations far from the European centers of colonial power, where the interactions of free blacks and whites were governed as much by practicalities and shared concerns as by the law MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict Cover 1 Contents 6 Acknowledgments 8 Introduction 10 Part One. The Colony and Its People 28 Chapter One. The Notarial Record and Free Coloreds 30 Chapter Two. The Land 43 Chapter Three. The People 69 Chapter Four. Free Coloreds in the Colonial Armed Forces 79 Part Two. The Free Colored in Society and the Economy 106 Chapter Five. Slaveholding Practices 108 Chapter Six. Landholding Practices 148 Chapter Seven. Entrepreneurship 169 Chapter Eight. Non-Economic Components of Social Status 185 Chapter Nine. Family Relationships and Social Advancement 207 Part Three. Group Strategies for Economic and Social Advancement 230 Chapter Ten. Planter Elites 232 Chapter Eleven. The Military Leadership Group 253 Chapter Twelve. Conclusion 293 Appendix One. Family Tree of the Laportes of Limonade 302 Appendix Two. Surnames 303 Appendix Three. Incorporation Papers of the Grasserie Marie Josephe 308 Appendix Four. Notarized Sale Contract for a House 310 Notes 314 Works Cited 342 Index 348 A 348 B 348 C 349 D 350 E 350 F 350 G 351 H 351 I 351 J 351 L 351 M 352 N 353 O 353 P 353 Q 354 R 354 S 354 T 355 U 355 V 355 W 355 X 355 Z 355