
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 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.
How successful was the Haitian Revolution?
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.
What was the cause of the Haitian Revolution Quizlet?
slave rebellions. The Haitian Revolution was a series of conflicts that took place between 1791 and 1804. General unrest arose in the early 1790s from the conflicting interests of the various ethnic, racial, and political groups in Saint-Domingue (now Haiti).
What happened after the Haitian Revolution in 1804?
The end of the Haitian Revolution in 1804 marked the end of colonialism on the island. However, the social conflict cultivated under slavery continued to affect the population for years to come.
How did the independence of Haiti affect the French Empire?
The independence of Haiti was a major blow to France and its colonial empire, but the French state would take several decades to recognize the loss of the colony.

What happened in Haiti in 1791 what was its impact?
In August of 1791 an organized slave rebellion broke out, marking the start of a twelve-year resistance to obtain human rights. The Haitian Revolution is the only successful slave revolt in history, and resulted in the establishment of Haiti, the first independent black state in the New World.
What happened in 1790 in the Haitian 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.
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 caused the Haitian revolution What was the outcome?
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.
How did the Haitian Revolution of 1791 1804 affect white Americans?
How did the Haitian Revolution of 1791-1804 affect white Americans? They became fearful that the rebellion might spread to American shores. first ten amendments to the Constitution, commonly called the Bill of Rights. harass French immigrants already in the United States and discourage others from coming.
When did the Haitian revolution start and end?
August 22, 1791 – January 1, 1804Haitian Revolution / Period
What were the major events of 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 economic factors caused the Haitian Revolution?
An economic power force dragged a socially unbalanced amount of slaves to the island of Saint Domingue, ultimately fueling the fire for the Haitian Revolution. The large amount of slaves brought by a growing agricultural economy and a long slavery period due to this prosperity allowed this social disambiguation.
Was the Haitian revolution successful?
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.
What is the name of this man who led the 1791 revolt in Haiti?
In 1791, a revolt erupted on the French colony, and Toussaint Louverture, a formerly enslaved man, took control of the rebels. Gifted with natural military genius, Toussaint organized an effective guerrilla war against the island's colonial population.
What were the effects of the Haitian Revolution?
The Haitian Revolution (1791-1804)—a thirteen-year series of slave revolts and military strikes— resulted in the abolition of slavery in the French colony of Saint-Domingue in 1793 and its subsequent independence and rebirth in January 1804 as Haiti, the first independent and slavery-free nation of the American ...
What happened to Haiti after the revolution?
On Oct. 17, 1806, just short of three years after independence, Emperor Jacques I was assassinated as he marched. Haiti was now plunged into a chaotic period of political maneuvering and civil war that divided Haiti into two nations under two different leaders for the next 12 years.
What were the major events of 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 is the name of this man who led the 1791 revolt in Haiti?
In 1791, a revolt erupted on the French colony, and Toussaint Louverture, a formerly enslaved man, took control of the rebels. Gifted with natural military genius, Toussaint organized an effective guerrilla war against the island's colonial population.
What sparked Haitian unrest 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.
Why did the affranchis lead an armed revolt against white colonial authorities in 1790?
France granted almost complete autonomy to Saint-Domingue in 1790. However, it left open the issue of rights for affranchis, and White planters refused to recognize them as equals, creating a more volatile situation. In October 1790, affranchis led their first armed revolt against White colonial authorities.
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.
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.
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.
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?
The revolution was actually a series of conflicts during the period 1791–1804 that involved shifting alliances of Haitian slaves, affranchis, mulattoes, and colonists, as well as British and French army troops. Several factors precipitated the event, including the affranchis ’ frustrations with a racist society, ...
When did the French withdraw from Haiti?
The French withdrew from Haiti but maintained a presence in the eastern part of the island until 1809.
Why did Haiti send the Marines to the Panama Canal?
However, many Haitians believed that the Marines had really been sent to protect U.S. investments and to establish a base to protect the approaches to the Panama Canal. Haiti signed a treaty with the United States—originally for 10 years but later extended—establishing U.S. financial and political domination.
What was the effect of the Marine occupation of Haiti?
One effect of the Marine occupation was the nominal reestablishment of the mulatto elite’s control of the government.
What did Boyer do to the Haitians?
Boyer did abolish slavery there, but the Haitians monopolized government power and confiscated church property, foodstuffs, and other supplies.
Who was the president of Haiti in 1930?
In October 1930 Haitians chose a national assembly for the first time since 1918. It elected as president Sténio Joseph Vincent. In August 1934 U.S. Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt withdrew the Marines; however, the United States maintained direct fiscal control until 1941 and indirect control over Haiti until 1947.
Who took control of the island of Spain?
In the late 1790s Toussaint Louverture, a military leader and former slave, gained control of several areas and earned the initial support of French agents.
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: A Rare and Brutal Act of Liberation. The Haitian revolution is one of the most remarkable revolts in history. Unlike most revolutions, it was driven not by the middle classes but by oppressed slaves.
How did Haiti gain independence?
A nation won its independence. That freedom was gained through terrible struggle and cruelty. For the victors, 90% of the population who had lived in chains, it was worth the cost.
How many slaves rose in rebellion in 1791?
This turmoil inspired the slaves. On the night of August 21, 1791, a slave revolt broke out. Within weeks, they controlled the whole north of the island. 100,000 slaves rose in rebellion. 4,000 whites were murdered and their plantations burned down.
What did the British and Spanish do to help the French?
Seeing an opportunity to take a French possession, both Britain and Spain got involved. They sent supplies to the rebels and military forces to the island. The British were mainly active at sea, the Spanish on land, although both used ships and soldiers.
What was the most profitable territory in the French Empire?
On the eve of the French Revolution, Saint-Domingue was the most profitable territory in the French Empire. Their Caribbean holding was filled with plantations. These produced mountains of sugar and coffee, luxury goods that sold for high prices in the growing European and American markets.
When did the cultivators revolt?
In the summer of 1802, the cultivators rose in revolt.
When did the French government make people of color who were not slaves, Saint-Domingue citizens?
In May 1791 , the French government officially made people of color who were not slaves, Saint-Domingue citizens. This went against the existing caste laws. Whites on the island resisted. Fighting broke out between whites and the colored non-slave elite.
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Why did the Haitian Revolution break out in 1791? Who was Boukman Dutty? What happened at the Bois de Caiman?
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Answer : The Haitian Revolution break out in 1791 is mainly due to inspiration from the French Revolution,brutality of slave ow … View the full answer
When did the Haitian Revolution break out in 1791?
On the night of 21-22 August 1791, a coordinated slave revolt broke out in the north of the island, the area of the largest plantations. Black slaves massacred their masters, and set fire to plantation buildings. At the same time, a separate rebellion started among the free coloreds in the west of Saint Domingue.
What was unique about the Haitian Revolution in 1791?
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. Some of them also owned a few slaves.
How did the Haitian Revolution of 1791 1804 affect?
How did the Haitian Revolution of 1791-1804 affect white Americans? They became fearful that the rebellion might spread to American shores. first ten amendments to the Constitution, commonly called the Bill of Rights. harass French immigrants already in the United States and discourage others from coming.
How 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 the causes and effects 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. In political terms, the French Revolution aided in giving rights to slaves, and therefore causing anger and hatred between these different social classes.
What was the impact of the Haitian Revolution?
The Haitian Revolution had many international repercussions. It ended Napoleon’s attempts to create a French empire in the Western Hemisphere and arguably caused France to decide to sell its North American holdings to the United States (the Louisiana Purchase)—thus enabling the expansion of slavery into that territory.
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.

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 desire 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