Fast Facts: The Haitian Revolution
- Short Description: The only successful revolt by enslaved Black people in modern history, led to the independence of Haiti
- Key Players/Participants: Touissant Louverture, Jean-Jacques Dessalines
- Event Start Date: 1791
- Event End Date: 1804
- Location: The French colony of Saint-Domingue in the Caribbean, currently Haiti and the Dominican Republic
Full Answer
What sparked the Haitian Revolution?
What Was the Cause of the Haitian Revolution? The cause of the Haitian Revolution was the inherent cruelty of slavery and the desire for Haitian blacks and multi-racial people to be treated with respect and decency. The citizens of France planted the seeds of revolt in Haiti during the French 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.
Who benefited from the Haitian Revolution?
Who benefited from the Haitian Revolution? Slaves in the United States and throughout the Americas were inspired by the success of the Haitian Revolution. In 1811, eight years after Haiti gained independence, the German Coast Uprising in Louisiana became the most serious slave revolt in the United States. What are 5 causes of the Haitian Revolution?
What was the goal of the Haitian Revolution?
What was the goal of the Haitian Revolution? Answer and Explanation: The goal of the Haitian Revolution was to end slavery on Saint-Domingue. Although the initial goal was tied to also ending French colonization, famous revolutionary leader Toussaint Louverture guided his various alliances to the main goal of ending slavery.
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.
What was the first event of the Haitian Revolution?
August 22, 1791Haitian Revolution / Start date
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 event in history inspired the Haitian Revolution?
The French Revolution, however became the spark for the Haitian Revolution after the French revolutionaries declared that all men be free and equal and when word spread to Haiti, a French colony, the African slaves of the island agreed and decided to rise up.
Which factor contributed most to the start of the Haitian Revolution?
The social instability of Saint Domingue was the leading factor in the Haitian revolution, as it caused political unrest within the colony. Economic, cultural, interactions with the environment and political causes all led up to the social disambiguation.
What were the three main events of the Haitian Revolution?
Timeline of the Haitian Revolution1789-1790 – The French Revolution erupts and the Declaration of the Rights of Man is passed. ... 1791-1792 – In August 1791 a full-fledged slave revolt began. ... 1793 – Great Britain and Spain enter the fight. ... 1794 – France issues a decree freeing all slaves in February.More items...•
What sparked unrest in Haiti in 1789?
What sparked Haitian unrest in 1789? Slaves heard a rumor that the King of France had freed them. This was important because the slaves didn't have any right and the King said that everyone was equal and gave everyone rights.
How was Haiti formed?
Haiti, whose population is almost entirely descended from African slaves, won independence from France in 1804, making it the second country in the Americas, after the United States, to free itself from colonial rule.
When did slavery start in Haiti?
Columbus's son Diego Columbus started the African slave trade to the island in 1505.
Did the French Revolution cause the Haitian Revolution?
The French Revolution provided the necessary spark for the revolution in Haiti to occur: it was the inspiration the cause of the abolition of slavery in Haiti needed to actualize its goals.
Why did US occupy Haiti?
Following the assassination of the Haitian President in July of 1915, President Woodrow Wilson sent the United States Marines into Haiti to restore order and maintain political and economic stability in the Caribbean. This occupation continued until 1934.
What events happened in Haiti?
1492: The “beginning” of history. ... 1496-1697: Spanish colonization. ... 1625-97: French colonization. ... 1789-1804: Revolution(s) ... 1804-20: A fractured peace and civil war. ... 1825-1914: Independence, but at a cost. ... 1915-37: American occupation and the Parsley Massacre. ... 1954-71: François “Papa Doc” Duvalier takes power.More items...•
What were the major battles of the Haitian Revolution?
Battle of VertièresAn 1806 engraving of Jean-Jacques Dessalines holding a severed French female head.Date 18 November 1803 Location South of Cap-Français, Saint-Domingue Result Haitian victory Departure of last French troops in December 1803.BelligerentsFranceHaitian Rebels8 more rows
What sparked unrest in Haiti in 1789?
What sparked Haitian unrest in 1789? Slaves heard a rumor that the King of France had freed them. This was important because the slaves didn't have any right and the King said that everyone was equal and gave everyone rights.
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?
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.
How many free black people were there in 1789?
There were about 30,000 free black people in 1789. Half of them were mulatto and often they were wealthier than the petit blancs. The slave population was close to 500,000. The runaway slaves were called maroons; they had retreated deep into the mountains of Saint Dominigue and lived off subsistence farming.
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.
Which country was the first to recognize its independence?
France became the first nation to recognize its independence. Haiti thus emerged as the first black republic in the world, and the second nation in the western hemisphere (after the United States) to win its independence from a European power. More about the Haitian Revolution via Wikipedia.
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.
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.
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 was the society like in Saint Domingue?
Society in Saint Domingue was divided along both class and color lines, with affranchis and White people often at odds in terms of how to interpret the egalitarian language of the French Revolution. White elites sought greater economic autonomy from the metropolis (France). Working-class/poor White people argued for the equality of all White people, not just for landed White people. Affranchis aspired to the power of White people and begun to amass wealth as landowners (often being enslavers themselves). Beginning in the 1860s, White colonists began to restrict the rights of affranchis. Also inspired by the French Revolution, enslaved Black people increasingly engaged in maroonage, running away from plantations to the mountainous interior.
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 ...
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.
Why did Napoleon send two troops to the Americas?
Napoleon sought to reignite French colonial ambitions and prepared to send two forces to the Americas: one to Saint Domingue to quell the rebellion, and one to New Orleans. Given the failure of the French military to quell the Haitian revolution, Napoleon was forced to send his New Orleans contingent to Saint Domingue as well.
What did Louverture do to the French Revolution?
Louverture took to heart the French Revolution’s “Declaration of the Rights of Man” and exposed the fraudulent European Enlightenment ideals of liberty and equality for all of mankind.
How long did the Haitian Revolution last?
The timeline of the Haitian Revolution would last from 1791-1804, and in that period thousands of former slaves would fight for their freedom. The Haitian Revolution was a complex web of affairs. At one point there were over a half dozen different parties involved, all fighting for different purposes.
What was the Haitian Revolution?
The timeline of the Haitian Revolution would last from 1791-1804, and in that period thousands of former slaves would fight for their freedom. The Haitian Revolution was a complex web of affairs.
How many slaves were there in the free black social class?
The population of the free black social class was about 30,000. The last and largest group by far were enslaved people of African descent. The slaves numbered somewhere around 500,000, outnumbering the white population by 10 to 1. Slaves were treated poorly and had an extremely high mortality rate.
What social class ruled over all?
The white planter class ruled above all, though the white non-landowner class also enjoyed a special status. This group had a population of roughly 40,000 in 1790. The next social class featured the free black and mixed race population.
What was Haiti known for?
At the time, Haiti was known as the French colony of Saint Domingue. The colony was known for its large plantations generating cash crops of sugar, coffee, cocoa, and indigo. Saint Domingue was the most profitable colony in the French Empire, owing largely to the sugar plantations.
Overview
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 …
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, e…
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 want for freedom and equality in Saint-Domingue. White planters saw it as an opportunity to gain indepen…
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 would …
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 wh...
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 people and affranchis b…
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 specte…
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