Negotiating Transnational Identity in Post-Revolutionary Hispaniola

Summary

Fleeing a tremendous rise in racial tensions, a small group of free blacks fled the US for the island nation of Haiti in 1824 and settled in Samaná. Subsequent to the settlers’ arrival, this area experienced a great deal of political turmoil and is now part of the Dominican Republic. Within the span of less than 150 years, the American community witnessed the transition from Haitian to Dominican control, annexation by Spain, the War of Restoration, commissioned investigations supporting annexation by the United States, and an occupation by the US Marines. However, the descendants of the original settlers continued to self-identify as ‘American’ until the most recent generations. This paper will focus on issues of communal identity within the globally connected Caribbean, with special attention paid to nationality. Oral historical and archival data will reveal the processes behind the formation, maintenance, and dissolution of the American community in Samaná.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014   •
• Historical Archaeology in the Caribbean: New Directions and Current Perspectives

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-6,19