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How Did The French Revolution Influence The Haitian Revolution

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Often times the Haitian Revolution is described as the largest and most successful slave rebellion in the western Hemisphere. It was the result of a long struggle by the slaves in the French colony of St. Dominique, but was also propelled by the free Mulattos who had long faced problems of being second-class citizens. They initiated the rebellion in 1791 and by 1803 they had accomplished ending slavery, and French control over the colony. However, the Haitian Revolution was way more complex, consisting of many revolutions going on at the same time. They were all influence by the French revolution of 1789, which represented a whole new concept of human rights, universal citizenship, and participation in government. The slave revolution that …show more content…

While they enjoyed some freedom, they were still second-class, and repressed by the white power structure that recognized them as merely being black. They were despised by poor whites because many Mulattoes were rich plantation owners themselves. With one of their parents most likely being French, they chose to identify themselves with that aspect of their race rather than the black. To them they were French and wanted the same rights as their white neighbors. Free people of color were held down by white elites at any chance given, and on September 1789, when planters rejected their proposed reforms, they appealed to the National Assembly. The Address to the National Assembly states “Born citizens and free, they live as foreigners in their own fatherland, Excluded from all positions, from honors and professions, they are even forbidden to practice some of the mechanical trades. Set apart in the most degrading fashion, they find themselves enslaved even in their liberty”. (Document 5) This is saying that even in the midst of them being free, free people of color were still held down and bonded in their freedom. There were several limits to their freedom. They were not allowed to vote or hold office in government. They also wanted representation in France. Despite the arguments made by the free men of color and their white Parisian supporters that they were capable of being citizens, …show more content…

Saint-Domingue had become the largest and most brutal slave society of the region after Brazil. The death rates for the slaves in Saint-Domingue were higher than their birth rates. There were many causes for the high death rates, but the main one was overwork and malnutrition. The slaves on this island worked from sun up to sun down. All the while they are working, they were doing so in very harsh conditions. Their masters treated them as machines, only caring about their revenues. They were very demanding and gave the slaves little to no medical care. The slaves had very bad living conditions and often times contracted diseases. Sugar, the main product being shipped from Saint-Domingue, was very hard to harvest. Some scholars refer to the sugar cane plantation as a factory in a field. At the same time the demand for sugar was steadily increasing. This treatment was the driving force behind the slaves during the revolt. They did not want to go back to slavery. Pierre Mossut described the slave uprising in his letter to one of his employers who was away. It stated in the Letter to the Marquis de Gallifet “There is a motor that powers them and that keeps powering them and that we cannot come to know”. The slave revolt in Saint-Domingue occurred just before the most violent years of the French Revolution. All they needed was inspiration to spark the revolt. A leader was

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