The Haitian Rebellions : The Causes Of The Haitian Revolution

My taught of the Haitian/French revolution is that was a great thing because Haitians was one of the first to gain their freedom by killing the ones that had enslaved them and led by a great leader Toussaint louver Ture that fought with the former slaves to gain their freedoms. Toussaint tried to argue to stop the slaughtering by negotiating with them but they did not agree with them so Toussaint decided to keep fighting to white until all formers slaves was created equal and that made Toussaint a great leader and during all of them years of fighting Toussaint became the official know leader that lead. In my opinion I think Toussaint is one of the greatest leader to lead a slave rebellion because his ideas were to negotiate with the whites so that they both

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.

It was during the late half of the eighteenth century that would experience a series of turbulence across the Atlantic World. In a time that can be called an era of revolution, the Atlantic World faced a multitude of uprisings. The American Revolution in 1765 would be the start of the age of revolutions, and would later inspire the revolutions of other countries across the Atlantic, such as the French Revolution in 1789, the Haitian Revolution in 1791, and later the Latin American Revolutions during the early nineteenth century. The events of these revolutions created shockwaves across the Atlantic that would bring new developments that had a lasting impact on the world. However, since slavery was an integral part to what had transpired in

Despite living and looking like grand blancs, they were mistreated. Last came slaves. Now that the social classes have been explained, the Haitian Revolution and its relationship with the French one can be better understood.

The Republic of Haiti has a unique and vibrant culture. It was once hailed as the "Pearl of the Antilles" for being the wealthiest colony in the world. This small Latin American island tells a story of slaves enduring resistance to the some of the most dominant forces abroad. In 1804, Haiti became the first free black republic and the second post-colonial country in the Americas. However, the days of being the wealthiest colony have since passed. Haiti is now considered to be the most impoverished country in the western hemisphere. The proud history of this country is overshadowed by alarming rates of poverty, violence, and inequality. This island nation’s government has been plagued with numerous military staged coups and misfortunes. I

Before beginning, a legal code was put in place regarding regulation of slavery in Haiti and surrounding areas. This code, knows as “Black Code”, regulated everything from religion, to food (Doc 1). The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen was the France claim of Independence. They believed that “all men were born and remain free and equal in rights”. Haitians believed that this also applied to them, but even though authors Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson believed people in their own countries had God-given rights, Haitian slaves did not because they were African (Doc 2). A helpful extra document would be of a Haitian reaction to France’s independence not being applied to Haiti. Because, they fought for the same thing, they should not be un-included in absolute freedom. Jean-Marie d’Aguay was president of the colonial Assembly in Saint Domingue in 1790, and was quoted saying “We have not brought half a million slaves from the coast of Africa to make them into French citizens.” This quote explicitly shows the amount of racial prejudice that Haitians slaves had to withstand prior to the revolution. (Doc

The success and vigorous pursuit of freedom from oppression in the French Revolution inspired the Haitians to believe that they were capable of doing the same; the Haitians, being treated like animals, wanted their inherent rights. The overbearing French governing body had collapsed and the Third Estate was likely to receive a brighter future. The Haitians were still locked down as property and animals, but they craved to have the inherent rights that all men are privileged to. The French got their rights while the Haitians did not; this was quite the volatile scenario ready to fall off the self and spark revolution.

The Haitian idea of the revolution originated with the hearing of the success of the French Revolution and the creation of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen (Doc 2). Since Haiti was under the rule of France, word broke out to the slaves that the French overcame the government, giving hope for the slaves under their rule. The revolution leaders “gathered to affirm their commitment to one another at a voodoo ritual,” (Doc 5) as voodoo was a combination of African and Haitian culture. This meeting occurred on August 14, 1791 and a week later, the revolution against the French began. After their success of the battle against the French, the Haitian leader, Jean Jacques Dessalines, spoke to the Haitian people on January 1st, 1804 on the gain of their independence. Jean Jacques Dessalines states “we must at last live independent or die” and to renounce France (Doc

The Haitian Revolution took place in 1791. One of the main Factors which led to the success of the revolution is the collapse and the malfunction of the French Monarchy. In France, the revolutionary government was considering equality. The governor at the time implemented the idea of equality for all blacks and whites to bend, he also mandated that slavery abolished. Instead of the people of France agreeing with him they Beheaded him and killed his members. The salves thought that they had been freed in the Caribbean which resulted in their starting to resist and revolt on the basis that the planter were hiding their freedom from them. They wanted to be free and not be beaten anymore. Which sparked the Haitian Revolution

Many times throughout history, we can see the effects of independent thought. There was the revolt of the slaves in Rome led by Spartacus, The Zanj Rebellion in the Middle East, and The Civil War in the United States. However, The Haitian Revolution is one of the most effective and swift Slave revolts of all time. The causes of the Haitian Revolution were quite simple and was similar to any other kind of slave revolt. Many ideas carried around by slave traders at the time such as treating slaves as property, using social/racial classes, and oppressive control ultimately tipped the slaves over the edge. Ideas of independence also sparked the revolution, and one key inspiration to the cause was The French Revolution. This is not very

Until sugar production made Cuba the wealthiest agricultural region on earth in the nineteenth century, the island was considered relatively diverse, compared to others in the Caribbean. The quality of soil was universally unparalleled, and gained countries interest. Although the French and Spanish were in feud over the island, merchants from Portugal, England, and Holland participated in trade, which brought diversity to Cuba. At the end of the eighteenth century, the Haitian Revolution changed the racial, social, and economical demographics on Cuba. Seeing that the Haitian revolution was a triumph of colossus proportions, the individuals who started it, embodied the spirit that initiated the great uprising. From the late eighteenth century, into the nineteenth century, formally freed slaved from Haiti migrated to Cuba in astonishing numbers. This not only altered the demographics on the island, it brought in a new workforce that proliferated local sugar production. Within a short period of time, Cuba became the biggest sugar cane producer in the world. The United States gained interest in capitalizing from the islands newfound wealth, and being close in proximity made the temptation of interfere with France and Spain irresistible. In the late nineteenth century, the United States interfered with Cuba’s fight for independence and increased their investments tenfold. By the beginning of the twentieth century, the US gained control of the island through ownership,

The cause and effects of the Haitian Revolution have played, and continue to play, a major role in the history of the Caribbean. During the time of this rebellion, slavery was a large institution throughout the Caribbean. The success of the sugar and other plantations was based on the large slave labor forces. Without these forces, Saint Domingue, the island with the largest sugar production, and the rest of the Caribbean, would face the threat of losing a profitable industry.

After enlightenment ideals began to spread across the globe, revolutions and wars for independence became commonplace throughout the world. After the French revolution, many countries and colonies began to follow suit and desire major changes in their colonies whether it be independence or equality/rights for all citizens. One such colony where this took place was the French colony of Saint-Domingue. The revolution, which took place here, was one not originally for independence but for equality among at least three different classes of people. These classes were the white French settlers, the gens de couleur and finally the slaves. Many traditional narratives of the Haitian Revolution say the fighting in Saint-Domingue was civil war fought between three distinct groups , closer examination of primary sources show that some white settlers, many of the gens de couleur, and slaves fought toward the same goal.

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.