Theresa, A Haydien Tale
Theresa, A Haitian Tale, was a story that was anonymously published in 1828 in the earliest newspaper to be published by African Americans. The newspaper was commonly referred to as the Freedom Journal. The publication of the story was done immediately after the Haitian Revolution. Some of the significant goals of publishing the Freedom’s Journal included addressing slavery and give readers the information necessary for uplifting and influencing the African American race. This newspaper aimed at defending African Americans after a Jewish journalist in New York assaulted due to their race. It was also published to compensate for the exclusion of the views of people of color from the mass media. The Freedom’s Journal was an abolitionist paper.
It is a short fiction that was anonymously published, with a heroic female of color as the primary protagonist. Its venue of publication was African American. Theresa is maybe among the least famous representations of the Haiti Revolution of the 19th century[1]. However, it is perhaps the most important because of the circumstances surrounding its publication, as well as its content. Based on the date of the publishment of this story, the intention of the author would possibly be to inspire and persuade slaves in American to rise and take action of obtaining their freedom.
The journal marked the beginning of freedom for the black people in America during the 19th Century. Since a group of African American men published the journal, people consider it as the first newspaper in the United States owned and operated by black people[2]. The editor of the Freedom’s Journal was determined it would give readers literature that would uplift and instruct the African race. The other reason why the story was published in the Freedom’s Journal is that Haiti was a country proposed for the emigration of free black people.
The story obtained a lot of recognition as it was published in a year when slavery was abolished in New York. Just like today’s news outlets and newspapers, the content of the Freedom Journal involves national, international, and local news for readers, including entertainment news. Thus, it gained the attention of so many audiences, to whom it addresses issues that severely affected the people. The main issues were slavery and racial discrimination. It was considered as the most effective method of conveying information to a wide range of people.
Theresa, A Haytien Tale, is a fictional narrative. Its publication was influenced by real-life events that African Americans experienced leading up to and during the Haitian Revolution. Columbus sailed to the coastal beaches of Hispaniola Island from Spain in 1492[3]. Soon afterward, Columbus claimed that he was so much impressed by the island. Currently known as San Domingo, the island was abandoned, and its mountainous and hilly geographical structure gave the government Spain a hard time in taking it over. As time went on, resources began depleting rapidly, the population of the island increased, and people were in a desperate need for labor. Later on, the Atlantic slave trade contributed to the arrival of so many slaves in the San Domingo Island[4]. Unluckily, most of the slaves died of overwork, starvation, and abuse from the bosses. People noticed the success of the American Revolution, hence triggering the Haitian Revolution, which left most of the white people killed. The success of the Haitian Revolution was due to the commitment and sacrifices by slaves in the determination of obtaining freedom.
The fiction of “Theresa” emphasizes on the subject of sacrifice. The primary actor in the story, Theresa, sacrificed her sister’s and mother’s love, as well as their relationship, to accomplish her nationalistic responsibility, and to get revolutionist for completely ending slavery in Haiti.
Bibliography
Freedom’s Journal. n.d. Just Teach One: Early African American Print. Retrieved from http://jtoaa.common-place.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/files/theresa_haytien.pdf.
New York State Department of State. n.d. “Industrializing North and Rise of the Deep South.” Retrieved from http://amh2010irscvirtualmodule5.weebly.com/theresa.html.
PBS. n.d. Freedom’s Journal. Retrieved From
http://www.pbs.org/blackpress/news_bios/newbios/nwsppr/freedom/freedom.html.
[1] Freedom’s Journal. n.d. Just Teach One: Early African American Print.
[2] New York State Department of State. n.d. “Industrializing North and Rise of the Deep South.”
[3] PBS. n.d. Freedom’s Journal.
[4] Ibid 2