About this episode
Paul Kersey and Sam Dickson discuss the controversial book by Sir Spenser St. John about Haiti's grim realities as the world's first black republic.
Paul Kersey and Sam Dickson discuss one of the most controversial books from Victorian England: Sir Spenser St. John's "Haiti: Or The Black Republic" (1884). The book exposes the grim reality of the world's first black republic, born from the violent overthrow of French colonial rule in a slave revolt. St. John documented widespread cannibalism, extreme dysfunction, and collapse in a nation created exclusively for its black population. His accounts shocked readers and prompted him to return to Haiti to verify his claims. In the foreword to the second edition, he confirmed that the reports of cannibalism were not only accurate but understated. Haiti's ongoing failure stands as a stark refutation of racial equality, illustrating how quickly civilization erodes under African rule.
People in this episode
Host: Paul Kersey
Guest: Sam Dickson
Topics covered
- Victorian literature
- Haiti
- colonialism
- race and equality
- historical accounts
- cannibalism
- black republic
Keywords
- Haiti
- Sir Spenser St. John
- cannibalism
- colonial rule
- black republic
- racial equality
- Victorian England
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Haiti: Or The Black Republic
Places: Haiti, France
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