What if the Haitian Revolution never happened?
What if the Haitian Revolution never happened and Napoleon never sold Louisiana to the US, what would have happened, would Manifest Destiny still be a thing Then eventually both americans or british would have attempted to take it either by force or offer him some money for it.
What are reasons for the success of the Haitian Revolution?
Why was the Haitian Revolution successful quizlet?
- The revolution had a significant influence since it was the first and only anti-colonial uprising to be successfully carried out.
- The insurrection accelerated the process of becoming a French citizen.
- Ultimately, slavery was abolished across the French Empire as a direct result of the Revolution.
What was Haiti like before the Revolution?
What was Haiti like before the revolution? Prior to its independence, Haiti was a French colony known as St. Domingue. St. Domingue’s slave-based sugar and coffee industries had been fast-growing and successful, and by the 1760s it had become the most profitable colony in the Americas.
Why did the Haitian Revolution start and where?
The Haitian Revolution (French: révolution haïtienne French pronunciation: [ʁevɔlysjɔ̃ a.i.sjɛn]; Haitian Creole: revolisyon ayisyen) was a successful insurrection by self-liberated slaves against French colonial rule in Saint-Domingue, now the sovereign state of Haiti.The revolt began on 22 August 1791, and ended in 1804 with the former colony's independence.
What ended the Haitian Revolution?
August 22, 1791 – January 1, 1804Haitian Revolution / Period
How did the Haitian Revolution start and end?
The Haitian Revolution has often been described as the largest and most successful slave rebellion in the Western Hemisphere. Slaves initiated the rebellion in 1791 and by 1803 they had succeeded in ending not just slavery but French control over the colony.
Why did the Haitian Revolution fail?
The Haitian ideals failed because Haiti not only sought political freedom but also equality for black people in a world where the power structure was overwhelmingly white—and whites held a rigid, hierarchical view of the world that they refused to have challenged at that time.
What were 3 outcomes of the Haitian Revolution?
First, the warfare of the Haitian Revolution destroyed the capital and infrastructure of the economy. Second, Haiti lacked diplomatic and trade relations with other nations. Third, Haiti lacked investment, both foreign and domestic investment.
How did Haiti defeat the French?
Soon after Toussaint's arrest, Napoleon announced his intention to reintroduce slavery on Haiti, and Dessalines led a new revolt against French rule. With the aid of the British, the rebels scored a major victory against the French force there, and on November 9, 1803, colonial authorities surrendered.
How long did slavery last in Haiti?
One of the most notable aspects of Haitian history is that the nation is the only one to have emerged as the result of a successful slave rebellion. From 1791 through 1804, enslaved people and their allies in Saint-Domingue fought a protracted revolution to win their independence from France.
What did the Haitian Revolution accomplish?
The Haitian Revolution was the first and only slave uprising that led to the establishment of a free state without slavery and ruled by non-whites and former slaves. This feat needs to be recognized more in today's society as one of the marquee revolutions in history.
Why is the Haitian Revolution so significant?
What is the Significance of the Haitian Revolution? The Haitian Revolution, which took place between 1791-1804, is significant because Haiti is the only country where slave freedom was taken by force. It was the only successful slave revolt in modern times.
How many countries did Haiti help free?
Answer and Explanation: Early in the 19th century, Haiti helped modern-day northwest Brazil, Guyana, Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, northern Peru, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Bolivia to obtain their independence.
How did the Haitian Revolution end slavery?
In 1793, the rebels freed themselves by forcing the colonial commissioners to abolish slavery throughout the colony. The colony then sent a delegation to the French National Assembly to convince the French government to abolish slavery in the entire Empire.
What are 5 causes of the Haitian Revolution?
There were five main causes of the Haitian Revolution: the French colonization of the West Indies, the plantation system on Saint Domingue, the brutal slave regime on Saint Domingue, the colonial social and racial hierarchy, and the spread of Enlightenment ideas from the American and French Revolutions.
Was the Haitian revolution the only successful revolution?
The Haitian Revolution was the world's only successful slave revolt. The Haitian Revolution was one of the great episodes of human history. Although perpetually overshadowed by the American and French Revolutions, which preceded and to a degree caused it, it forever changed the history of the world.
How did the Haitian Revolution start?
In May 1791 Paris granted French citizenship to landowners—which included some affranchis and excluded some whites, leading to civil war. A general slave revolt in August started the revolution. Its success pushed France to abolish slavery in 1794, and the Haitian Revolution outlasted the French Revolution.
When did Haitian Revolution end?
August 22, 1791 – January 1, 1804Haitian Revolution / Period
What are 5 causes of the Haitian Revolution?
There were five main causes of the Haitian Revolution: the French colonization of the West Indies, the plantation system on Saint Domingue, the brutal slave regime on Saint Domingue, the colonial social and racial hierarchy, and the spread of Enlightenment ideas from the American and French Revolutions.
What major events happened during the Haitian Revolution?
15 Events of the Haitian RevolutionPeriod: Jan 1, 1789 to Jan 1, 1804. Events of the Haitianb Revolution.Jun 25, 1789. Blacks revolt to improve equality. ... Aug 15, 1791. Dutty Boukman organizes slave revolution. ... Aug 20, 1791. Whites kill hundreds of blacks. ... Aug 25, 1792. Louis XVI is executed. ... Sep 1, 1793. ... Sep 5, 1794. ... Sep 10, 1795.More items...
What was the Haitian Revolution?
Put simply, the Haitian Revolution, a series of conflicts between 1791 and 1804, was the overthrow of the French regime in Haiti by the Africans an...
Why did the Haitian Revolution start?
The vast majority of the population of Haiti, then the extremely financially successful French colony of Saint-Domingue, consisted of African slave...
How is the Haitian Revolution related to the French Revolution?
Several different groups in Haiti were inspired by the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen to seek more freedom. In May 1791 Paris...
Who did the Haitian Revolution involve?
These are some of the people involved in the Haitian Revolution: Vincent Ogé, an affranchi, led an unsuccessful revolt in October 1790. The former...
Why is the Haitian Revolution important?
The Haitian Revolution had many international repercussions. It ended Napoleon’s attempts to create a French empire in the Western Hemisphere and a...
What was the Haitian Revolution?
The Haitian Revolution ( French: Révolution haïtienne [ʁevɔlysjɔ̃ ajisjɛ̃n]; Haitian Creole: Revolisyon ayisyen) was a successful insurrection by self-liberated slaves against French colonial rule in Saint-Domingue, now the sovereign state of Haiti.
What was the post-revolution era in Haiti?
Post Revolution Era. An independent government was created in Haiti, but the country's society remained deeply affected by patterns established under French colonial rule. As in other French colonial societies, a class of free people of color had developed after centuries of French rule here.
How many people lived in France in 1789?
The livelihood of 1 million of the approximately 25 million people who lived in the France in 1789 depended directly upon the agricultural imports from Saint-Domingue, and several million indirectly depended upon trade from the colony to maintain their standard of living.
What was the result of the French abolition of slavery?
The end of French rule and the abolition of slavery in the former colony was followed by a successful defense of the freedoms they won , and, with the collaboration of free people of color, their independence from white Europeans.
Why did Toussaint join the French?
At this point, Toussaint, for reasons that remain obscure, suddenly joined the French and turned against the Spanish, ambushing his allies as they emerged from attending mass in a church at San Raphael on 6 May 1794. The Haitians soon expelled the Spanish from St. Domingue. Despite being a former slave, Toussaint proved to be forgiving of the whites, insisting that he was fighting to assert the rights of the slaves as black French people to be free. He said he did not seek independence from France, and urged the surviving whites, including the former slave masters, to stay and work with him in rebuilding Saint-Domingue.
What happened to the French in 1803?
On the night of 30 November 1803, 8,000 French soldiers and hundreds of white civilians boarded the British ships to take them away. One of Rochambeau's ships was almost wrecked while leaving the harbour, but was saved by a British lieutenant acting alone, who not only rescued the 900 people on board, but also refloated the ship. At Môle-Saint-Nicolas, General Louis de Noailles refused to surrender and instead sailed to Havana, Cuba in a fleet of small vessels on 3 December, but was intercepted and mortally wounded by a Royal Navy frigate. Soon after, the few remaining French-held towns in Saint-Domingue surrendered to the Royal Navy to prevent massacres by the Haitian army. Meanwhile, Dessalines led the rebellion until its completion, when the French forces were finally defeated by the end of 1803.
What did Polish soldiers do to help the Haitian Revolution?
Polish soldiers participated in the Haitian revolution of 1804, contributing to the establishment of the world's first free black republic and the first independent Caribbean state.
What was the Haitian Revolution?
Haitian Revolution (1791-1804) The Haitian Revolution has often been described as the largest and most successful slave rebellion in the Western Hemisphere. Slaves initiated the rebellion in 1791 and by 1803 they had succeeded in ending not just slavery but French control over the colony.
Who led the slave revolt in Haiti?
Led by former slave Toussaint l’Overture, the enslaved would act first, rebelling against the planters on August 21, 1791. By 1792 they controlled a third of the island. Despite reinforcements from France, the area of the colony held by the rebels grew as did the violence on both sides. Before the fighting ended 100,000 of the 500,000 blacks and 24,000 of the 40,000 whites were killed. Nonetheless the former slaves managed to stave off both the French forces and the British who arrived in 1793 to conquer the colony, and who withdrew in 1798 after a series of defeats by l’Overture’s forces. By 1801 l’Overture expanded the revolution beyond Haiti, conquering the neighboring Spanish colony of Santo Domingo (present-day Dominican Republic ). He abolished slavery in the Spanish-speaking colony and declared himself Governor-General for life over the entire island of Hispaniola.
Why were the whites on Saint Dominigue disenchanted with France?
The planters were extremely disenchanted with France because they were forbidden to trade with any other nation.
Why was Haiti the wealthiest colony in the world?
In the 18th century, Saint Dominigue, as Haiti was then known, became France’s wealthiest overseas colony, largely because of its production of sugar, coffee, indigo, and cotton generated by an enslaved labor force. When the French Revolution broke out in 1789 there were five distinct sets of interest groups in the colony.
What did L'Overture do?
By 1801 l’ Overture expanded the revolution beyond Haiti, conquering the neighboring Spanish colony of Santo Domingo (present-day Dominican Republic ). He abolished slavery in the Spanish-speaking colony and declared himself Governor-General for life over the entire island of Hispaniola.
Who was the French leader who captured the Overture?
Napoleon Bonaparte, now the ruler of France, dispatched General Charles Leclerc, his brother-in-law, and 43,000 French troops to capture L’Overture and restore both French rule and slavery. L’Overture was taken and sent to France where he died in prison in 1803.
Did Haiti have slaves?
Haiti had a history of slave rebellions; the slaves were never willing to submit to their status and with their strength in numbers (10 to 1) colonial officials and planters did all that was possible to control them. Despite the harshness and cruelty of Saint Dominigue slavery, there were slave rebellions before 1791.
What were the outcomes of the Haitian Revolution?
The outcome of the Haitian Revolution loomed large across societies that allowed enslavement in the Americas. The success of the revolt inspired similar uprisings in Jamaica, Grenada, Colombia, and Venezuela. Plantation owners lived in fear that their societies would become "another Haiti.". In Cuba, for example, during the Wars ...
When did the Haitian Revolution begin?
The Haitian Revolution is considered to have begun officially on Aug. 14, 1791, with the Bois Caïman ceremony, a Vodou ritual presided over by Boukman, a maroon leader and Vodou priest from Jamaica.
How many parties were involved in the Haitian Revolution?
The Haitian Revolution was chaotic. At one time there were seven different parties warring simultaneously: enslaved people, affranchis, working-class White people, elite White people, invading Spanish, English troops battling for control of the colony, and the French military.
What happened to Louverture in 1794?
Throughout 1794, the three European forces took control of different parts of the island. Louverture aligned with different colonial powers at different moments. In 1795, Britain and Spain signed a peace treaty and ceded Saint-Domingue to the French. By 1796, Louverture had established dominance in the colony, though his hold on power was tenuous. In 1799, a civil war broke out between Louverture and the affranchis. In 1800, Louverture invaded Santo Domingo (the eastern half of the island, modern-day Dominican Republic) to bring it under his control.
How did the French try to get enslaved people to join their forces?
Furthermore, the French often tried to get enslaved people to join their forces by offering them freedom to help put down the rebellion. In September 1793, a number of reforms took place in France, including the abolition of colonial enslavement.
What was the cause of the mulattoes and enslaved people fighting in 1791?
By 1791, enslaved people and mulattoes were fighting separately for their own agendas, and White colonists were too preoccupied with maintaining their hegemony to notice the growing unrest. Throughout 1791, such revolts grew in numbers and frequency, with enslaved people torching the most prosperous plantations and killing fellow enslaved people who refused to join their revolt.
What was the newly independent Haiti?
The newly independent Haiti was isolated by all the western powers. France would not recognize Haiti's independence until 1825, and the U.S. did not establish diplomatic relations with the island until 1862. What had been the wealthiest colony in the Americas became one of the poorest and least developed. The sugar economy was transferred to colonies where enslavement was still legal, like Cuba, which quickly replaced Saint-Domingue as the world's leading sugar producer in the early 19th century.
What was the Haitian Revolution?
The Haitian Revolution: The Slave Revolt Timeline in the Fight for Independence. The end of the 18th century was a period of great change around the world. By 1776, Britain’s colonies in America — fueled by revolutionary rhetoric and Enlightenment thought that challenged the existing ideas about government and power — revolted ...
How did the Haitian Revolution affect the world?
Another important way the Haitian Revolution drastically impacted world history was the sheer demonstration of being able to fend off the biggest world powers at the time: Great Britain, Spain, and France.
What did Dessalines do to ensure that the mass killings were ensuing smoothly?
Dessalines was so adamant on this point that he personally traveled to different areas and countrysides to ensure that the mass killings were ensuing smoothly. He often found that in some towns, they were only killing a few Whites, instead of all of them.
What is the significance of Vodou?
The historic Vodou ceremony is a symbol to this day of unity for Haitian people who were originally from different African tribes and backgrounds, but came together in the name of freedom and political equality. And this may even extend further to represent unity among all Blacks in the Atlantic; in the Caribbean islands and Africa.
Why is studying the Haitian Revolution important?
Studying the Haitian Revolution helps identify some of the flaws in the way we’ve been taught to remember; it provides us with an important piece in the puzzle of human history that we can use to better navigate both the present and future. 1. Sang, Mu-Kien Adriana. Historia Dominicana: Ayer y Hoy.
How many slaves were there in Saint Domingue?
But though they had the least structural power, they made up the majority of the population: in 1789, there were 452,000 Black slaves there, mostly from West Africa. This accounted for 87% of the population of Saint Domingue at the time.
What did the French declare in 1794?
At a National Convention in February 1794, as a result of the panic ensuing from the Haitian Revolution, they declared that all men, regardless of color, were considered French citizens with constitutional rights. This really shocked other European nations, as well as the newly born United States.
What was the Haitian Revolution?
The Haitian Revolution created the second independent country in the Americas after the United States became independent in 1783. U.S. political leaders, many of them slaveowners, reacted to the emergence of Haiti as a state borne out of a slave revolt with ambivalence, at times providing aid to put down the revolt, and, later in the revolution, providing support to Toussaint L’Ouverture’s forces. Due to these shifts in policy and domestic concerns, the United States would not officially recognize Haitian independence until 1862.
Why did the US cut off aid to Haiti?
Under President Thomas Jefferson’s presidency, the United States cut off aid to L’Ouverture and instead pursued a policy to isolate Haiti, fearing that the Haitian revolution would spread to the United States. These concerns were in fact unfounded, as the fledgling Haitian state was more concerned with its own survival than with exporting revolution. Nevertheless, Jefferson grew even more hostile after L’Ouverture’s successor, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, ordered the execution of whites remaining after the Napoleonic attempts to reconquer St. Domingue and reimpose slavery (French defeat led to the Louisiana Purchase.) Jefferson refused to recognize Haitian independence, a policy to which U.S. Federalists also acquiesced. Although France recognized Haitian independence in 1825, Haitians would have to wait until 1862 for the United States to recognize Haiti’s status as a sovereign, independent nation.
How did the French Revolution affect the colony?
The French Revolution had a great impact on the colony. St. Domingue’s white minority split into Royalist and Revolutionary factions, while the mixed-race population campaigned for civil rights. Sensing an opportunity, the slaves of northern St. Domingue organized and planned a massive rebellion which began on August 22, 1791.
What is Toussaint L'Ouverture holding?
Toussaint L'Ouverture holds a printed copy of the Haitian Constitution of 1801. (Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division)
When was slavery abolished in France?
Slavery was finally abolished in France in 1848 . This was not a result of liberal minded leaders finally realizing the wrongs of slavery but rather of the revolutionary masses; workers in solidarity with the slaves, once again wielding their collective power.
Why did the French not abolish slavery?
In fact, the French abolition of slavery was the reason Toussaint switched sides from the Spanish back to the French. Similarly, racism is and was created and amplified by ...
Why did England and Spain support the rebelling slaves?
The imperialist powers of England and Spain only supported the rebelling slaves in order to try and get San Domingo for themselves – they had no intention of freeing slaves in their other colonies and it was clear they would try to reinstate slavery in San Domingo had they suceeded in taking the colony.
How did Toussaint help the blacks?
San Domingo was devastated by this civil war and, after black slaves had been freed, Toussaint implemented a harsh regime on the black laborers in order to restore agricultural production. He was also very kind to the white plantation owners, letting them keep their property so that they would provide their much needed skills in restoring the plantations. The vast majority of the population were illiterate and consequently lacking in the specific skills and knowledge needed to run the plantations. Major efforts were made to expand education but in the meantime they had to use the skills of their former exploiters. Toussaint didn’t really explain to the former slaves why he was treating the whites so well which created some resentment, given the brutal treatment the black laborers had experienced from their former masters. James makes an interesting comparison with Lenin here, who also had to utilize the skills of those who had formerly worked against the revolution in Russia due to the low level of education there too:
Why did Toussaint make the history he made?
But men make history and Toussaint made the history that he made because he was the man that he was.” (p91) Toussaint was in a relatively privileged position compared to other slaves, having responsibility to supervise a team and being able to teach himself to read and write.
What is the first chapter of The Revolution?
The origins of the revolution – The Atlantic slave trade. In the first chapter “The Property”, James charts the rise of slavery in San Domingo, serving as a useful case study for the development of the Atlantic trade in general. “The Property” he is referring to is of course the slaves themselves. He explains how the brutal, dehumanizing regime ...
What was the brutal, dehumanizing regime of slave owners?
He explains how the brutal, dehumanizing regime of slave owners was not a result of individual “bad apples” who were “naturally” cruel but rather a systematic terror perpetrated by all slaves owners to a greater or lesser degree, designed to keep slave resistance in check.
Overview
The Haitian Revolution was a successful insurrection by self-liberated slaves against French colonial rule in Saint-Domingue, now the sovereign state of Haiti. The revolt began on 22 August 1791, and ended in 1804 with the former colony's independence. It involved black, biracial, French, Spanish, British, and Polish participants—with the ex-slave Toussaint Louverture emerging as Haiti's most charismatic hero. The revolution was the only slave uprising that led to the founding of a state w…
Background
Much of Caribbean economic development in the 18th century was contingent on Europeans' demand for sugar. Plantation owners produced sugar as a commodity crop from cultivation of sugarcane, which required extensive labor. The colony of Saint-Domingue also had extensive coffee, cocoa, and indigo plantations, but these were smaller and less profitable than the sugar plantations. The commodity crops were traded for European goods.
Situation in 1789
In 1789, Saint-Domingue produced 60% of the world's coffee and 40% of the sugar imported by France and Britain. The colony was not only the most profitable possession of the French colonial empire, but it was the wealthiest and most prosperous colony in the Caribbean.
The colony's white population numbered 40,000; mulattoes and free blacks, 28,000; and black slaves, an estimated 452,000. This was almost half the total slave population in the Caribbean, …
Effects of the French Revolution
After the establishment of the French First Republic, the National Assembly made radical changes to French laws and, on 26 August 1789, published the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, declaring all men free and equal. The Declaration was ambiguous as to whether this equality applied to women, slaves, or citizens of the colonies, and thus influenced the desire for freedom and equality in Saint-Domingue. White planters saw it as an opportunity to gain indepe…
1791 slave rebellion
Guillaume Raynal attacked slavery in the 1780 edition of his history of European colonization. He also predicted a general slave revolt in the colonies, saying that there were signs of "the impending storm". One such sign was the action of the French revolutionary government to grant citizenship to wealthy free people of color in May 1791. Since white planters refused to comply with this decision, within two months isolated fighting broke out between the former slaves and t…
Leadership of Louverture
Toussaint Louverture, although a self-educated former domestic slave, was one of the most successful black commanders. Like Jean François and Biassou, he initially fought for the Spanish crown. After the British had invaded Saint-Domingue, Louverture decided to fight for the French if they would agree to free all the slaves. Sonthonax had proclaimed an end to slavery on 29 August 1792. Louverture worked with a French general, Étienne Laveaux, to ensure that all slaves woul…
War of Independence
For a few months, the island was quiet under Napoleonic rule. But when it became apparent that the French intended to re-establish slavery (because they had nearly done so on Guadeloupe), black cultivators revolted in the summer of 1802. Yellow fever had decimated the French; by the middle of July 1802, the French lost about 10,000 dead to yellow fever. By September, Leclerc wrote in his diary that he had only 8,000 fit men left as yellow fever had killed the others. In 1802…
Free republic
On 1 January 1804, Dessalines, the new leader under the dictatorial 1805 constitution, declared Haiti a free republic in the name of the Haitian people, which was followed by the massacre of the remaining whites. His secretary Boisrond-Tonnerre stated, "For our declaration of independence, we should have the skin of a white man for parchment, his skull for an inkwell, his blood for ink, and a bayonet for a pen!" Haiti was the first independent nation in Latin America, the first post-c…
Background and Causes
Beginning of The Haitian Revolution
- By 1791, enslaved people and mulattoes were fighting separately for their own agendas, and White colonists were too preoccupied with maintaining their hegemony to notice the growing unrest. Throughout 1791, such revolts grew in numbers and frequency, with enslaved people torching the most prosperous plantations and killing fellow enslaved people who refused to join t…
1792-1802
- The Haitian Revolution was chaotic. At one time there were seven different parties warring simultaneously: enslaved people, affranchis, working-class White people, elite White people, invading Spanish, English troops battling for control of the colony, and the French military. Alliances were struck and quickly dissolved. For example, in 1792 Black ...
The Final Years of The Revolution
- Napoleon Bonaparte, who had assumed power in France in 1799, had dreams of restoring the system of enslavement in Saint-Domingue, and he saw Louverture (and Africans in general) as uncivilized. He sent his brother-in-law Charles Leclerc to invade the colony in 1801. Many White planters supported Bonaparte's invasion. Furthermore, Louverture faced opposition from enslav…
Haiti Independence
- Dessalines created the Haitian flag in 1803, whose colors represent the alliance of Black and mixed-race people against White people. The French began to withdraw troops in August 1803. On January 1, 1804, Dessalines published the Declaration of Independence and abolished the colony of Saint-Domingue. The original indigenous Tainoname of the island, Hayti, was restored.
Effects of The Revolution
- The outcome of the Haitian Revolution loomed large across societies that allowed enslavement in the Americas. The success of the revolt inspired similar uprisings in Jamaica, Grenada, Colombia, and Venezuela. Plantation owners lived in fear that their societies would become "another Haiti." In Cuba, for example, during the Wars of Independence, the Spanish were able to use the spect…
Sources
- "History of Haiti: 1492-1805." https://library.brown.edu/haitihistory/index.html
- Knight, Franklin. The Caribbean: The Genesis of a Fragmented Nationalism,2nd edition. New York: Oxford University Press, 1990.
- MacLeod, Murdo J., Lawless, Robert, Girault, Christian Antoine, & Ferguson, James A. "Haiti." https://www.britannica.com/place/Haiti/Early-period#ref726835
Haiti Before The Revolution
- Saint Domingue
Saint Domingue was the French portion of the Carribean island of Hispaniola, which was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492. Since the French took it over with the Treaty of Rijswijk in 1697 — the result of the Nine Years’ War between France and the Grand Alliance, wit… - Social Structure
As was the norm, these slaves were at the very bottom of the social pyramid that developed in colonial Saint Domingue, and were most certainly not citizens (if they were even considered as a legitimate part of society at all). But though they had the least structural power, they made up th…
The Enlightenment
- Meanwhile, back in Europe, the Era of Enlightenment was revolutionizing thoughts about humanity, society, and how equality could fit in with all of that. Sometimes slavery was even attacked in the writings of Enlightenment thinkers, such as with Guillaume Raynal who wrote about the history of European colonization. As a result of the French Revolution, a highly import…
The Revolution
- The Legendary Bois Caïman Ceremony
On a stormy night in August of 1791, after months of careful planning, thousands of slaves held a secret Vodou ceremony at Bois Caïman in the north of Morne-Rouge, a region in the northern part of Haiti. Maroons, house slaves, field slaves, free Blacks, and people of mixed-race all gathered … - Bois Caïmanin Context
The Bois Caïman Ceremony is not only considered the starting point of the Haitian Revolution; it is considered by Haitian historians as the reason for its success. This is due to the potent belief and powerful conviction in the Vodou ritual. In fact, it is still so important that the site is visited ev…
Enter Toussaint L’Ouverture
- The most notorious general of the Haitian Revolution was none other than the infamous Toussaint L’Ouverture — a man whose allegiances switched throughout the entirety of the period, in some ways leaving historians pondering his motives and beliefs. Although the French had just claimed to abolish slavery, he was still suspicious. He joined ranks with the Spanish army and was even …
After The Revolution
- Dessalines was feeling vengeful at this point, and with the final triumph on his side, a vicious spite took over to destroy any Whites who hadn’t already evacuated the island. He ordered an absolute massacre of them immediately. Only certain Whites were safe, like Polish soldiers who had abandoned the French army, German colonists there before the Revolution, French widows or w…
Conclusion
- Haiti clearly did not become a perfectly egalitarian society after its Revolution. Before it was established, racial divide and confusion were prominent. Toussaint L’Ouverture left his mark by establishing class differences with military caste. When Dessalines took over, he implemented a feudal social structure. The ensuing civil war pit lighter-skinned people of mixed-race against dar…