Maitland Agreement Thesis Statement

Toussaint, then encountered conflict with the Spanish and British, so he allied with the French for help. The people of Saint-Domingue were determined to avoid a return to slavery at all costs. The Spanish and British posed the threat of reinstating slavery in Saint-Domingue. Being an excellent military strategist, Toussaint was able to drive out these two major colonial powers. He was granted the position of the governor of Saint-Domingue. He faced challenges such as rebuilding the shattered economy of

Toussaint L’Ouverture was born in 1743 in Saint Domingue on a plantation in Cap-Haïtien. He was quite prodigious as a young child: rather than working as a field slave and toiling in the hot sun, he began his slave existence as a herder. Later on, he became a coach driver and waiter for his owner. Ultimately, his owner saw such promise in him that he appointed L’Ouverture as an overseer of fellow slaves who were working in the field. Throughout his tenure, being a more “upscale” slave, he was given access to the plantation library. It was in that library that L’Ouverture’s godfather taught him how to read and write, and the seeds of his future were sown.

By 1792, the French had sent troops in to try and restore order. These battles differed from the battles in the United States because they centered on ideas of racial equality. Poorly treated slaves and angry mixed race citizens fought not only for their right to have an independent nation, but for a literal freedom and equality for themselves. When Toussaint L’Overture, a former slave, took over the Haitian armies in 1793, he was fighting both the British and the French, two armies fighting to possess an island rich in resources, including the slaves who were fighting against them. He was a powerful leader and an intelligent military strategist, and his capacity to control the rebelling slaves greatly improved their organization. Battles with the French dragged on until 1803, when Napoleon no longer had the resources to sustain the warfare and withdrew his troops. By 1804, Haiti was an independent republic governed by Jean-Jacques Dessalines, who in a final expression of racial tension had the remaining white citizens massacred. Both the United States and Haiti helped secure their independence through successful military campaigns, but Haiti’s independence had race as a focal point in a way colonists of the United States did not

One way the French Revolution impacted the Haitian Revolution was by changing the mindsets of the Haitians in all social classes. The events occurring in France opened the Haitians’ eyes to a point where slaves weren’t the only ones in Haiti who wanted a change, but thanks to the French Revolution, everyone was angry. To begin with, the grand blancs wanted to terminate their trade agreement with France so they could sell to the highest bidder and keep the money they earned. Like the members of the Third Estate, they didn’t want to be controlled by the weak and tyrannical French monarchy. Speaking of the Third Estate, they might have been located in France, but the petit blancs still associated themselves with them, which is logical, as they were poor working classmen. These blancs were inspired by the citizens in France and their determination, as well as their desire for acquiring the rights they felt they deserved. Nevertheless, they turned to violent measures and began attacking the grand blancs. The petit blancs weren’t the only ones who wanted to be treated equally to the grand blancs; the gens de couleur had a yearning for this as well. Although they had

Toussaint L’ouverture was not only a good liberator but he was also a great ruler of Saint Domingue. Saint Domingue was not a good country without Toussaint. Toussaint was a great leader for Saint Domingue and changed their lives forever. He wrote a document that restricted the slaves. (Doc. C) He created this document so that the slaves are free but, they still have to follow the rules like all the others. Toussaint also created a proclamation stating that “Any individual… tending to incite sedition shall be brought before a court martial and be punished in conformity with the law.” (Doc. D) Toussaint states here that if any slave that breaks the law will go to the military court and be punished with the law. He uses this law to help all the

Toussaint L’ouverture must be remembered by how he was a good liberator for the slaves. Like, during 1791, a slave revolt began in the north of Saint Domingue, Toussaint joined the revolution and served as a doctor and commanded a small part of the slave soldiers. (Doc. A) His courage to join the revolt and help the slaves that got injured shows that he is dedicated to the slaves and shows that he is a superior liberator. When the French Directory was the government they replaced the government that had abolished slavery. (Doc. B) Toussaint wrote a letter to the French Directory to help the slaves and make them free for the second time. He tried to help the slaves as much as he could. When Toussaint got the French Directory to free the

Toussaint knew what he wanted, and he had his constitution written with all of the things he wanted to have be incorporated into the Haitian society. (Doc C) When he gave himself the role of Saint Domingue’s chief general for life- with his very own constitution- it showed his power over what he wanted, and how he wanted life with his land and people. (Doc C) Adding to this, in the proclamation that Toussaint made as chief general, he specifically stated his unwanting of vagabonds in his land, and how he wanted more people to work keep the island running.

b. Dessalines, who had commanded the black and the mulatto forces during the final phase of the revolution, became the new country's leader; he ruled under the dictatorial 1801 constitution. The land he governed had been devastated by years of warfare. The agricultural base was all but destroyed, and the population was uneducated and largely unskilled. Commerce was virtually nonexistent. Contemplating this bleak situation, Dessalines determined, as Toussaint had done, that a firm hand was needed.

In document B it proves that Toussaint was a liberator of slaves because he told them to free the slaves. Toussaint believed that the slaves should be free and have their own freedom. L’ouverture should be remembered as the ruler of Saint Domingue. L’ouverture decided to have the people keep working so no money is lost.

Document A is a factual dated list of information regarding Toussaint Louverture and his actions within the effort for haiti’s independence. Toussaint louverture has shown qualities of leadership and his skills to be a general ,when he commanded haitian soldiers in the revolution and additionally repelled the Britain , and France for some time. Toussaint louverture wasn’t just a

Slavery on Saint Domingue took a nasty turn against the white and mix raced people living there. “On the night of October 29, a revolt broke out on the Northern Plain – whites were massacred from Fort Liberté to the gates of Cap Français” (Doc. E). This Revolt was a declaration of something big, freedom. Toussaint encouraged the freedom of slaves when claiming “how could men just watch calmly as their liberty is being taken away” and “we know how to confront danger to our liberty,” (Doc. B). This is all evidence of his support of the abolishment of slavery and how he wants and knows how to keep it free for all in Saint

Toussaint L’Ouverture, leader of the Haitian revolution from 1791–1804, who was called Napoléon Noir, or the black Napoleon by both his admirers and his detractors alike once said: “I was born a slave, but nature gave me a soul of a free man....” (Lamartine, 1998, p.62). With these 15 words the former slave, now military leader L’Ouverture encapsulated the driving sentiment behind the bloody 13 year war for Haitian independence. The slave revolution which began in Haiti in 1791was inspired by the ideals of the age of enlightened reasoning which were floating across the sea from Europe, and was galvanized by the rising tide of the French revolution as news came through from Paris that the blade of Dr. Guillotine’s eponymous “national razor” was beginning the bloodletting.

For Glissant, the rootless cell Toussaint should be seen as an island in the archipelago of the New World that connects the Atlantic and Caribbean early in the hemisphere, certainly a prophetic vision of his revolutionary past. This 'island', a common Caribbean place par excellence, after two hundred years of solitude, should not be quarantined, or serve as a stage to be cynically exploited by political opportunists, but be freed from the prison of the imperial

Toussaint L’ouverture was born on May 20, 1743 in Haiti. Toussaint was one of the many who was born into slavery. Toussaint belonged to a very small class of slaves who had some privileges. Toussaint’s owner encouraged him to read and write; later on Toussaint became interested in books. This had a large impact on his political life. Toussaint was some of the few black males to be freed from slavery when he was in his thirties. After being freed from slavery Toussaint became a slave and landowner. An agent of change is a person, event or time period, which had significant impact on the society, which alters the way we do things today. Toussaint L’ouverture deserves to be an agent of change not only because he was an intelligent slave who overcame and defeated slavery for his colony, he also turn the society of slaves into independent state with there own government. He fought for the rights that the slaves were not receiving. Some of the rights that Toussaint L’ouverture was fighting for was things like equality and labor opportunities, and basic rights of a human. He made the stronger more powerful countries acknowledge the slaves as equals. Toussaint L’ouverture drove out the French and made them sell the land, which are now about 15 of our states in America. His hard work, effort, and the will to fight gave him a edge to achieve these accomplishments which goes down in history to be one of the greatest rebellions to have occurred. This has significant impact because

Toussaint Louverture organized an army of twenty thousand that controlled most of Saint-Domingue and spread a constitution that granted equality and citizenship to all of its residents. However, he did not want to declare independence from France because he did not want to aggravate Napoleon Bonaparte into attacking the island, which he ended up doing later. After his death following his arrest, the black generals that succeeded Toussaint defeated the French troops that survived yellow fever and had driven them out of the colony. In late 1803, they declared independence, the establishment of Haiti soon followed. Although they had abolished French rule, French is the main language spoken in Haiti today. The victory of the Haitian revolution signifies the first and only successful slave revolt in modern