9:40 drafted version BLS FI...L PAPER SPRING 2024 Moving on to the next source, we explored Michak Bola Tanos essay, “An Unthinkable History: The Haitian Revolution as a Non-Event," from Silencing the Past. Secondly, we'll examine Trouillot, Michel Rolph. “An Unthinkable History: The Haitian Revolution as a Non- Event." Silencing the Past The central theme of this section is the systematic suppression and marginalization of the Haitian Revolution in Westem historical narratives. Toquillot demonstrates how the revolution, although being a watershed moment as the sole successful slave riot that resulted in the foundation of an independent nation, is sometimes rendered invisible or declared "unthinkable" by mainstream history. One relevant quote supporting this analysis is "This black woman born and raised in the richest country of the late twentieth century was more afraid to talk about slavery than a white planter in colonial Saint-Domingue just days before rebellious slaves knocked on his door" (p. 70), which emphasizes the long-term impact of the trauma and silencing associated with slavery. Even in a modern society, far away from the firsthand experience of the Haitian Revolution, the prospect of slavery summons intense terror and discomfort. It also highlights the clear-cut contrast between the claimed universality of Enlightenment ideals such as liberty and equality and the harsh reality of slavery, which deprived an entire nation of these very principles. [The second relevant quote is -"The successful Haitian Revolution forced a rewriting of the script; it challenged the very categories that had made it unthinkable" (p. 96), speaks directly to the revolution's subversive impact on the prevalent narratives and categories of the period. The accomplishment of enslaved Africans in overcoming their colonial oppressors and establishing an independent nation broke long-held beliefs about race, freedom, and revolution. It showed the hypocrisy of Enlightenment ideas that claimed to be universal but barred Black people from human rights and self-determination Trouillot's analysis emphasizes the significance of identifying the underlying contradictions and blind spots in dominant ideological frameworks. The Haitian Revolution, by virtue of its existence and accomplishment, exposed the flaws in the Enlightenment ideal, which claimed universal values while denying them to entire populations based on race. Trouillot's emphasis on the "unthinkable" nature of this event invites us to address the silences and deletion in historical narratives, as well as to critically scrutinize the power systems that define what is considered thinkable or unthinkable. A Mobile View Read Aloud Headings

9:40 drafted version BLS FI...L PAPER SPRING 2024 Moving on to the next source, we explored Michak Bola Tanos essay, “An Unthinkable History: The Haitian Revolution as a Non-Event," from Silencing the Past. Secondly, we'll examine Trouillot, Michel Rolph. “An Unthinkable History: The Haitian Revolution as a Non- Event." Silencing the Past The central theme of this section is the systematic suppression and marginalization of the Haitian Revolution in Westem historical narratives. Toquillot demonstrates how the revolution, although being a watershed moment as the sole successful slave riot that resulted in the foundation of an independent nation, is sometimes rendered invisible or declared "unthinkable" by mainstream history. One relevant quote supporting this analysis is "This black woman born and raised in the richest country of the late twentieth century was more afraid to talk about slavery than a white planter in colonial Saint-Domingue just days before rebellious slaves knocked on his door" (p. 70), which emphasizes the long-term impact of the trauma and silencing associated with slavery. Even in a modern society, far away from the firsthand experience of the Haitian Revolution, the prospect of slavery summons intense terror and discomfort. It also highlights the clear-cut contrast between the claimed universality of Enlightenment ideals such as liberty and equality and the harsh reality of slavery, which deprived an entire nation of these very principles. [The second relevant quote is -"The successful Haitian Revolution forced a rewriting of the script; it challenged the very categories that had made it unthinkable" (p. 96), speaks directly to the revolution's subversive impact on the prevalent narratives and categories of the period. The accomplishment of enslaved Africans in overcoming their colonial oppressors and establishing an independent nation broke long-held beliefs about race, freedom, and revolution. It showed the hypocrisy of Enlightenment ideas that claimed to be universal but barred Black people from human rights and self-determination Trouillot's analysis emphasizes the significance of identifying the underlying contradictions and blind spots in dominant ideological frameworks. The Haitian Revolution, by virtue of its existence and accomplishment, exposed the flaws in the Enlightenment ideal, which claimed universal values while denying them to entire populations based on race. Trouillot's emphasis on the "unthinkable" nature of this event invites us to address the silences and deletion in historical narratives, as well as to critically scrutinize the power systems that define what is considered thinkable or unthinkable. A Mobile View Read Aloud Headings