Voodoo by

Voyage to Hispaniola

alejandroberdeja1 — 2024-11-24 08:26:15 UTC

During the transatlantic slave trade, West Africans were sent to many places including Hispaniola or present-day Haiti. From the second they stepped on the boat, the slaves brought their religion with them, including Vodou. This resulted in Haitian Vodou, a prominent cornerstone of Haitian culture (Vodou (Vo-doo) is the correct term, not Voodoo)

Haitian Revolution

alejandroberdeja1 — 2024-11-24 08:36:44 UTC

Eventually, in 1697 France took control of Hispaniola and was renamed to Saint-Domingue. I791 a slave revolt began in Saint-Domingue and became the first successful slave revolt in history in 1804. As a result, a lot of folks found themselves in New Orleans due to closeness and French speaking. Some historians say Vodou helped make the revolution possible.

Lead up

alejandroberdeja1 — 2024-11-24 08:49:50 UTC

After the revolution, certain white people were afraid this would influence black people in America, Including Thomas Jefferson. As a result, free black men were banned from New Orleans in 1807. This was one of the first signs of the demonization and oppression Vodou devotees and black people would experience.

Aftermath

alejandroberdeja1 — 2024-11-24 08:53:02 UTC

In the 1820s white writers had an idea. If they can demonize Vodou, a black religion, they can justifiably treat the devotees and associates terribly, and that's what they did. Starting in 1820, white journals started to write in there papers about accounts of "Vodou" rituals, and these rituals ranged from boiling black cats, inter-racial orgies, and even a child being drugged and having their blood drained from them. These headlines were persistent till the end of the 1800s, with one journal commenting on the amount of headlines, saying the newspaper had a special agent to work in this field. The reach and influence these articles had on white Americas perception of black people is unfathomable and still felt today.

Present day

alejandroberdeja1 — 2024-11-24 09:06:55 UTC

Today, we still feel the effects of these articles. These articles were used to categorize black people as "less than", and the treatment they faced during this period was unfathomable. Stereotypes like black men being inherently violent and perverted came from this period and are still present today. It could even be argued those articles helped in the mass incarceration of black people. Know Vodou has been commercialized and no one knows it is a West African religion used by slaves to help them connect to their homeland and ancestors.