Dominican crossroads : H.C.C. Astwood and the moral politics of race-making in the age of emancipation / Christina Cecelia Davidson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Davidson, Christina C., author.

Series:

e-Duke books scholarly collection

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Astwood, H. C. C. (Henry Charles Clifford), 1844-1908.

Astwood, H. C. C.

Consuls--Dominican Republic--Biography.

Consuls.

Diplomats--United States--Biography.

Diplomats.

Racism--Political aspects--United States--History--19th century.

Racism.

Dominican Republic--Foreign relations--United States.

Dominican Republic.

United States--Foreign relations--Dominican Republic.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xxviii, 354 pages) : illustrations, maps.

Place of Publication:

Durham : Duke University Press, 2024.

Summary:

"Dominican Crossroads explores diplomatic and cultural relations between the Dominican Republic and the United States in the late nineteenth century. Christina Davidson focuses on Henry Charles Clifford (H. C. C.) Astwood, the first Black man to serve as US consul to the Dominican Republic. Born in the British Caribbean, Astwood migrated to the Dominican Republic's northern coast after its War of Restoration against Spain (1863-1865). He then left the island for Reconstruction-era New Orleans where he became a Republican activist and preacher in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. Dominican Crossroads tracks the challenges that Astwood faced as a Black politician in an era of rampant racism and ongoing cross-border debate over Black men's capacity for citizenship and political authority. Atwood engaged in the era's "moral politics of race-making"- defined as the purposeful deconstruction and reconstruction of racist moral logic-in order to command political authority. He remains an enigma on the sidelines of US history because of a concerted effort to shield the public from the dealings of a duplicitous middleman whose extraordinary life defied borders of all kinds: national, cultural, racial, and moral"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

A shadowy past : Henry Astwood and the transition from slavery to freedom

A reconstructed life : becoming H.C.C. Astwood in the US-Caribbean sphere

The other Black republic : segregated statecraft and the dual nature of US-Dominican diplomacy

Death and deceit : Black political authority and the forging of US moral logic abroad

Between tolerance and tyranny : Protestant Dominicans, social morality, and the making of a liberal nation

Leasing Columbus : holy relics, public ridicule, and the reconstruction of two Americas

"The cheekiest man on Earth" : H.C.C. Astwood and the politics of White moral exclusivity.

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Print version: Davidson, Christina C. Dominican crossroads.

ISBN:

9781478059929

1478059923

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.