Toussaint Louverture Dbq

While the French revolution was a complete disaster in my opinion because two groups had different believes on political rights. It became so harsh that the kind died during the revolution that no one should be above the law the other group beliefs was when they finally won the revolution a lot of black slaves became free and considered as French citizens and that was great news to Toussaint and that a good think when u have a rebellion going on against slavery. Toussaint join the French to get help from the French since both had the same belief that all men should be created equal. Another great event that happened during the Haitian revolution is that Toussaint became governor of saint Dominque and that made the slaves holders very mad because a black male has risen to great power. Those key events are very important because now the Haitian and French revolution are now known as famous revolution of these great historic events and Haiti became the first free republic and humans right was given to all

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

The author should be credited because this book was a well written. As a journalist that had lived in Haiti at the time, his knowledge and research skills proved an asset. This book

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

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

The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizens in 1789 was a key incentive for the Haitian Revolution of 1789-1803. This declaration was pivotal in defining the rights that all men were entitled to. For instance, the framers of the declaration proclaimed that “men are born…free and equal in respect of their civil rights…” and that all men were entitled to liberty, rights to own property, security, resistance of oppression, freedom of speech, and protection under the law. The declaration was perceived by members of society very differently. For example, the people of color view the declaration as a tool for demanding their rights. For the slaves, the declaration was a motivation to fight for their freedom. In 1789, the Haitian Revolution officially started with uprising commanded by people of color and slaves. This revolution proved to be one of the most successful slave rebellion in the Western Hemisphere, and in 1803, Haiti became the first country to gains its independence and be governed in the Americas by people of African ancestry. The Haitian Revolution completely transformed Saint Domingue, one of the most prosperous colony in the Caribbean. Considering the importance of the Haitian Revolution, it is unfortunate that there are few accounts of what was happening during the time. Yet, three very important documents that teach us about the society during the revolution are “The Ogé Insurrection”, “The Battle in the Harbor: The Testimony of a Man of Color”, and

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

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

The Abolitionists and the Pro-Slavery population of the United States each took the story of Toussaint Louverture and tried to use it to further their cause. The Pro-Slavery South often told of the story of the horrific Haitian Revolution. It told of vengeful African slaves committing unspeakable acts of violence against innocent and defenseless white men, women, and children. The pro-slavery press documented the horrors of Saint Domingue at great length. “Upwards of one hundred thousand savage people, habituated to the barbarities of Africa, avail themselves of the silence and obscurity of the night, and fall on the peaceful and unsuspicious planter, like so many famished tigers thirsting for human blood.”1 Bryan Edwards, a chief antagonist of slavery to British Parliament, wrote multiple narratives that provided the text for images of the revolution that would haunt generations of American slaveowners.

Who was Toussaint Louverture? Looking at Haitian history, it is clear that he was a great leader in several different aspects of the things he did to reach his largest goal, which was abolishing slavery in his land of Saint Domingue. Throughout joining revolts, leading militaries, and reacting to people challenging his opinion, Toussaint had to go through a lot to meet the end result of what he believed in. As well as facing his enemies, he had to switch the sides of his own self to keep on fighting toward his end goal. Toussaint Louverture should be remembered for his actions among those who resided in Saint Domingue for making him a liberator of slaves, a ruler of the land, and a smart military commander.

Purpose: To understand how Haiti became what it is and all the trials it has endured

Toussaints military command was a remarkable characteristic. “As a military commander, Toussaint gains a reputation for running an orderly camp and for training his men in both guerilla tactics and the European shoulder-to-shoulder style of war” (Doc. A). This shows where his priorities are placed. His teaching of both to make his men knowledgeable about the enemy’s tactics, but keeping it orderly to keep respect from his men. Toussaint’s reputation had gained the respect of everyone under him, and his victories against the English and Spanish help the reputation of the military (Doc. F). His command for respect and his military actions against English and Spanish forces protected the little country to stay independent and on the map.

St. Domingue, what is now Haiti, was a place of sugar rich plantations owned by the french. A collection of rebel slaves started the Haitian Revolution in 1791,they were inspired by the French revolution. The successful revolts lead by general Toussaint L’Ouverture earned the slaves control over a third of St. Domingue. While the rebels maintained control of the place, they kept an alliance with France. Two years after Napoléon’s ambition came into power, he decides to send 30,000 soldiers to take St. Domingue back. Early in the continuing year, french forces dropped to less than 10,000 troops. Relations with Britain were dwindling fast, war was imminent, Napoléon’s decided to cut St. Domingue out of his plans. In 1803, the nation of Haiti gave Napoléon Bonaparte his first defeat. Part of Bonaparte’s plan

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