The Anti-Slave Uprising: The Haitian Revolution

The Haitian Revolution was one of the most important slave revolts in Latin American history. It started a succession of other revolutionary wars in Latin America and ended both colonialism and imperialism in the Americas. The Haitian Revolution affected people from all social castes in Haiti including the indigenous natives, mestizos, mulattos and the Afro-Latin. The idea of starting a rebellion against France began with the colony’s white elite class seeking a capitalist market. These elites in the richest mining and plantation economies felt that the European governments were limiting their growth and restricting free trades. However, the Afro-Latin, mestizos and mulattos turned the Haitian Revolution into a war for equality and built a new state. The Haitian Revolution, with the support of it large slave population and lower class citizens, eliminated slavery and founded the Republic of Haiti. Tin this essay I will discuss how mestizos, mulattos and the Afro-Latin Americans population in Haiti participate in the fight for independence and how they creation of new republics.

The revolutionary processes that occurred in North America and South America differed in that there was no goal for a social reform present in the North American Revolution, however, the main goal of the Haitian Revolution was for the change of the rigid social class system and abolishment of slavery. In Saint-Domingue the social class system followed the idea that the whiter a person was, the better. This meant that the people of color were of the lower class with the slaves. Before the revolution in Haiti began, the white settlers in Saint-Domingue who sought to govern themselves opposed the ideas to give political or legal equality to the slaves. Because of this opposition, a large slave revolt broke out against the white settlers. The Haitian revolution then began, fueled by the goal of the abolishment of slavery and the want for political equality. Opposite to this, the goals of the North American Revolution were mainly political and economic reforms. During the American Revolution, slavery was seen throughout all 13 colonies, and was not fought. The main goal of the American Revolution was to gain political freedom from the mother country and stop harsh economic policies like the unfair taxation that was inflicted upon the colonies. Unlike the slaves in Haiti, the slaves did not revolt, and there was no social reform that took place during the revolution. Therefore, the revolutions differed in that there was no goal for social reform in

In 1789, locations across the globe were affected by the French Revolution. This was a revolt initiated by the people that would change France forevermore, but it also changed Haiti. Unexpectedly, the French Revolution had a significant influence on the Haitian Revolution, a major slave revolt where slaves forcefully took their freedom for the first time in history. The French Revolution impacted the Haitian Revolution by changing the mindsets of the people, inspiring the Haitian Constitution, and initiating the final phase.

The gist overview of the Haitian Revolution is that it was a revolt that initiated by Haitian African Slaves. The French Revolution inspired the Haitian revolution. Due to this ignition, the African slaves began to revolt. Eventually, the Haitian slaves were to overcome the French and they gain their independence, leading to Haiti becoming an independent state in 1804. Both lecture and Wikipedia provided the information that was just stated. There were things that were stated in lecture that Wikipedia did not have, however that did not stray from the results of the revolution. Both sources tailored to gain an audience towards those who are interested in the Haitian Revolution. In fact the information that is presented is intended to educate those who interested in understanding the Haitian Revolution from the preconditions, contingencies, accidents, agencies, and

How did the French Revolution impact events on San Domingue (Haiti)? What did the revolution mean for the French? For Haitians? Why was this both contradictory and dangerous?

a. According to Jacob Crawfurd of crawfurd.dk With the French arrival a revolution started once again and when it was finally over, an army of black slaves had their victory against the army of Napoleon. On January 1st 1804, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, an African-born ex-slave could declare Haiti independent. It was the first black republic in the world and the first country in the Western hemisphere to abolish slavery completely

The Haitian Revolution did not just start and end in one day. Instead, the entire revolution took place over a very event filled thirteen years. The start of the revolution was influenced by many other incidents. Including slave revolts throughout Saint Domingue

If the story of the Haitian revolution is told in a completely factual way, the story would be about how the Slaves revolted and started a nation on their own. To the neighboring Americans this was not a good thing. At the time in America there was a large population of slaves, in fact the American agricultural industry relied totally on slave labor. So the Haitian rebellion was talked down so to not give the slaves in America any ideas.

This minority was mostly bound by race, although class was important to a lesser extent. This created a society where it was favorable to be lighter skinned since it opened the doors for better social status in the colony. Although, because of the unique inheritance laws of the colony which allowed for blacks the opportunity to inherit the large estates of their white fathers there were a large amount of wealthy mulattos. Still, rich blacks and mulattos had nearly the same rights in the colony as their slaving counterparts. Knowing this it is clear that the social structure of the colony had a great impact on the development of the Haitian revolution.

The Haitian Revolution was a spectacle no one had ever seen happen in history. The slave owners, like Jefferson, were fearful and intimidated. The slaves however, were excited. The Haitian Revolution gave them hope that the United States had the potential to eventually become a country of multi-racial equality. They were inspired

As time went on France took over haiti and make slavery become even more common, yet as time went one the slaves rebelled and formed Haiti. As a country, Haiti did not have a well beginning. After this newfound freedom Haitians could not establish a stable government and the country began to fall. People did what they wanted and for most people that was making room for other things. During the 18th century Haitians began to clear the forests for coffee production.

Throughout history, there have been dozens of times when people were extremely upset with the government that was ruling over them. However, these angry citizens only revolt a fraction of the time, due to fear of the government. Two examples of when people stood up for their rights and revolted are the French Revolution and the Haitian Revolution. These revolts are loosely connected, as many say that the Haitian Revolution was inspired by the French Revolution. The French Revolution started in 1789 and continued all the way until 1814. The people in France had discontent with the classes, as 98% of the French population was living in serious poverty. The French people

François-Dominique Toussaint Louverture was the best-known leader of the Haitian Revolution. His military and political acumen saved the gains of the first Black insurrection in November 1791. He first fought for the Spanish against the French; then for France against Spain and Great Britain; and finally, for Saint-Domingue against Napoleonic France. He then helped transform the insurgency into a revolutionary movement, which by 1800 had turned Saint-Domingue, the most prosperous slave colony of the

The Haitian Revolution is based on the political purpose that France had when they fought to possess Saint-Domingue (now called Haiti). France, like other empires at the time, was trying to extend its wealth and power. Therefore, possessing Haiti, having a lot of gold, sugar, coffee, indigo and others were one way to be strong and powerful. Being driven by the profits that Haiti were emanating, African slaves were continuously brought to Haiti, first to replace the Aboriginals that had died previously, but also to increase their profits. This led to the slaves outnumbering the French colonizers. Later on, the free people of color were demanding more right to the French government and after their refusal, the slaves and the free people of color revolted which led to the Haitian revolution (Simpsons 1942, 487). The French colonizers were already struggling about the equality between themselves because there was a hierarchy present within the White community. Moreover, what created a reaction to help slaves to revolt was the “religious ceremony performed at Bois Caïman by the Maroon voodoo priest Dutty Boukman, which was attended by representative slaves from several plantations” (Laguerre 1989, 1). Boukman called the help of the spirits to revolt against the white colonists. The revolution of Haiti in 1804 was a social and political uprising in the French Colony of Saint-Domingue. Voodoo rapidly became Haiti’s way out of slavery, as it helped them reunite together and gain the

The Haitian revolution took place in Saint-Domingue, a French colony and one of the richest of all European colonies in the Caribbean, on the western part of the island of Hispaniola, a major center of sugar production with hundreds of prosperous plantations. The population of the colony comprised of three groups, the white colonials, the gens de couleur, and the slaves. Many slaves ran away and established maroon communities that were self-sustained. As more and more slaves ran away, more and more slaves were being imported from Africa and other Caribbean islands, which resulted in the high prices of slaves. Since the French aided the North American colonists in their war for independence, they sent several hundreds of gens de couleur to the colonies. Once they returned to Saint-Domingue, they wanted independence themselves from the French.