The Haitian Revolution Essay

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.

Furthermore, the population of Saint-Domingue around this time was approximately 500,000, and of that total population ninety-percent of it was slaves. With the abolishment of slavery in Haiti’s constitution, the commodities produced, especially the sugar economy, took a massive hit. As a result, the sugar produced in Saint-Domingue was drastically reduced; for example: in 1801, its

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

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

Similar to the American Revolution, the Haitians too seeked to create a republic founded on the values of the Enlightenment - but unlike the Americans, Haiti took this a step further, by outlawing slavery and becoming the first modern nation ruled by Africans. As the French Revolution began, there was a political crisis in St. Domingue, France’s wealthiest colony, and supplier of nearly 40% of Europe’s sugar imports. Planters were threatened by the Revolution, which aimed to remove many of the privileges enjoyed by the aristocracy (who made up the planter class). Wealthy free blacks, some of who owned plantations themselves, began to demand equal rights to whites. Poor whites, felt that the Revolution did not include blacks, and imagined a new society where they had enough to own slaves themselves. Out of the chaos of this political struggle, the slave population of St. Domingue, which made up nearly 90% of the colony’s population, revolted and seized power for themselves. By 1794, Haiti had seen one of the largest, and successful, slave rebellions in the course of human

The Haitian Revolution is recorded as the only known completely successful slave revolt in world history. Taking place from 1791 to 1804, the rebellion ended slavery in Saint Domingue, and rebirthed the area into the Republic of Haiti. The Revolution carried effects on a grand scale. Globally, other countries began to become fearful due to the rebellions, and this rage was voiced by citizens around the world. The French government’s political role in the lives of Haitians during the rebellion was expressed in numerous governing documents. The social impact of the revolution can be seen through the perspectives of slaves during the time period.

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?

As the revolutionary time period continued to surge, the Haitian revolted against the French as giving way for political independence and the freedom of the inhabitants, however the economy diminished for many countries did not want to trade with the Haitians. With the success in the Haitian revolution, the Haitians gained political freedom from the French and created their own government in 1804. Not only did the Haitians gain political freedom, but they also abolished slavery for the citizens and gained the right to be a free man and a citizen. Since the slave revolution succeed, many countries blocked communication and economic trade with the Haitians in fear of their slaves revolting which dwindled the economic success that previously occurred with the French.

The slaves were not the only black inhabitants of Saint-Domingue. The free black inhabitants were called Mulattoes. Like the slaves, they too were oppressed in some way. While they had some sense of freedom, they were oppressed by the structure of the white government of Saint-Domingue. Upon reaching manhood, they were required to serve in a mandatory three-year term in the military. Upon release, they were then forced to serve in their

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.

Besides slave uprising, another stimuli for the Haitian Revolution was the political and social conditions of France. Around 1787 an anti-slavery sentiment developed in France after being heavily influenced by the English abolitionists movements, which included among others the Quakers. Furthermore, the political instability of France during the late eighteenth century forced the small community of

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.

This revolution appealed to the Grand Blancs of San Domingue as the colony was named before the revolution. They decided that it was an opportune time to demand more political power from the newly elected Constituent Assembly in France. The Constituent Assembly denied them their requests.