“Theresa, a Haytien Tale”
“Theresa, a Haytien Tale”
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“Theresa, A Haytien Tale” was a fictional story written in 1828 about a free African American woman who lived in Saint Domingue. The woman, Madame Pauline, was ready to pay any cost just to reserve her daughters’’ virtue. The tale also suggests that Theresa, Madame Pauline’s daughter, was responsible for Haiti’s independence. The story was the first African American story that shows the role of an African American woman. It tries to celebrate the ability of a black woman to contribute towards fighting against slavery, given that during the Haitian revolution, the women of color were denied from participating in the events of the revolution. The story paints the woman of color as a hero and recognized the women who participated in the revolutions who had previously been ignored.
Tale summary
“Theresa, A Haytien Tale” was a fictional story written in 1828 about a free African American woman who lived in Saint Domingue. The woman, Madame Pauline, was ready to pay any cost just to reserve her daughters’’ virtue. The tale also suggests that Theresa, Madame Pauline’s daughter, was responsible for Haiti’s independence. The story was the first African American story that shows the role of an African American woman. It tries to celebrate the ability of a black woman to contribute towards fighting against slavery, given that during the Haitian revolution, the women of color were denied from participating in the events of the revolution. The story paints the woman of color as a hero and recognized the women who participated in the revolutions who had previously been ignored.
The tale appeared in 1928 from 18th January to 15th February in the Freedom Journal by an author who called himself “S.” The main message to the readers of the freedom of New York is that a woman’s voice can also be heard. He portrays the woman’s role in the Haiti revolution by hypothetically stating that the independence of Haiti relies on a black woman. The author publishes his article in the freedom journal because the journal was owned by an African American. It was founded the same year that slavery was banned in the state of New York. The journal focused on countering the racism news that was being established in the other white-owned newspapers. It denounced issues such as colonialism and slavery and advocated for the black people’s civil rights, such as the right to vote.
The reason to believe that the author’s message is about the role of the black woman in the community is how he paints out that the independence of Haiti relies on Madam Pauline’s daughter. Madame Pauline is willing to protect her daughter no matter what. Theresa, on the other hand, is painted as a heroine in Haiti. He/she wants to show that a black woman is also brave as she fights side by side with the Haitian revolutionist. From the essay, we can denote that the author advocates for a woman’s voice to be heard and her presence recognized.
The article is written two years after New York State abolished the slave trade. However, there was still animosity against the African Americans, and that is why the author opted to write an article to paint out not only the beauty of an African American but also to show that the African community is a brave one. Haiti had been designated as a country where the freed slaves would be emigrated to. The author paints out a heroine picture of Theresa to praise the island nation as well as to act as an example to other African Americans in the United States.