Freedom Papers-Importance of Documentation to Identity and Citizenship

As we discussed in class, there are many factors that played significant roles in migration. We said that gender played an important role because it was almost a law to treat women as inferior. They were publicly humiliated and constantly belittled. They did not have any say and were not viewed as equals. It was unthinkable for the women to come together and take a stand against the unfair treatment. (Just as it was unthinkable for the slaves to come together in the Haitian Revolution.)

Race and color was also extremely important for obvious reasons. People were defined by their color/race. If you were black, you were most likely a slave or came from a background of slaves. The rights were limited for people of different a race.

The importance of documentation to identity and citizenship was crucial to moving from place to place. On page 67, Scott says “And once designated explicitly or implicitly as a slave, a person who had previously lived as free would require substantial resources and powerful allies in order to contest that label.” Scott puts a face to the name by telling Elisabeth Dieudonne. She was free because of her mother, Rosalie under the acts of the French National Convention and their enforcement by Toussaint Louveture and Andre Rigaud. By telling the stories of actual people that lived to experience society during this time helps to “un-silence the past”. Not only does it document a person’s history, it gives the events more credibility and we are able to feel more compassion.

Freedom Papers really brings together the ideas outlined in Silencing the Past. It is important that we recognize and consider the roles that each of these factors played and continue to play in history.