...insurrection of slaves in history. The Haitian Revolution resulted in the creation of the first successful independent freed slave state in the world, a fact that rocked the socio-political, economic, and moral foundations of the Caribbean.[1] However, in the period following the Revolution, there is a noted increase of slavery in the Caribbean as a whole. Did the success of the Haitian uprising merely serve as a lesson for Caribbean planters and reinforce the slave society? To answer this question one must examine the factors that led to the Revolution’s success both externally, in the European metropoles, and internally, in the psychological and socio-political dynamics of Caribbean societies. Therefore, the Haitian Revolution appeared to impede abolition in the Caribbean in the short term because it reinforced white stereotypes of African savagery and inferiority, convinced planters of the danger of liberal and abolitionist ideals, and created a large void in the coffee and sugar markets which other colonies quickly filled by introducing more slave labor. While these effects should not be minimized, they were merely the logical aftershock of the tumultuous events in the established racial hierarchy. Ultimately, the Haitian Revolution was a major turning point in abolitionist history because it restructured the balance of power in the Caribbean thereby allowing a political gap for British abolitionists, the first organized anti-slavery movement from a metropole, to enter...
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...Trouillot’s An Unthinkable History, presents the argument that Haitian revolution becomes a non-event in all aspects of history because it was never perceived as ‘thinkable’ event, therefore, dismissing the movement at its origin. The Haitian Revolution as a non-event was further cemented by the Western ontological framework that prevented even conceiving a rebellion led by black slaves, but also by the explicit dismissal of the Haitian Revolution by the academia itself. Thus, the ‘cancellation’ of the Haitian revolution only creates further implications for the study of social movements. The Haitian Revolution is a monumental anti-slavery, social movement led by both free and enslaved blacks, that successfully challenged and overcame the...
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...Scholars of the Haitian Revolution have also considered the role that African ideas may have played in the Haitian Revolution. In ““I Am The Subject of the King of Congo”: African Political Ideology and the Haitian Revolution”, John Thornton contends for the role of Congolese political history and thinking in influencing the Haitian Revolution. At the time of the Haitian revolution the majority slaves in Haiti were of Congolese origin or descent. Thornton contends against earlier interpretations which interpreted the slaves’ African political heritage as encouraging a support for absolute monarchy and slavery. He analyzes the political practices of Congolese Kingship and the dynamics of the civil wars which had taken place in the 18th century,...
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...The Great Haitian Revolution The Haitian Revolution was a journey to civil liberties. The Haitian Revolution began shortly after the French Revolution. This rebellion was started because of the quest for freedom by the Haitian slaves. This proved to be successful, and created a place where all people were treated as equal. Though it also brought problems, but these were by far outweighed by the benefits. As a whole, the Haitian Revolution was a success in restoring freedom to the once enslaved people. The Haitian Revolution began in 1791. It started as a struggle for independence and civil liberties. This took place in Saint Domingo. Here there was a large slave population that far outnumbered the population of white settlers. The owners...
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...The Haitian Revolution was the result of a long struggle on the part of the slaves in the French colony of St. Domingue, but was also propelled by the free Mulattoes who had long faced the trials of being denoted as semi-citizens. This revolt was not unique, as there were several rebellions of its kind against the institution of plantation slavery in the Caribbean, but the Haitian Revolution the most successful. This had a great deal to do with the influence of the French Revolution, as it helped to inspire events in Haiti. The Haitian Revolution would go on to serve as a model for those affected by slavery throughout the world. There were three distinct classes in St. Domingue. First, there were the Whites, who were in control. Then there were the free Mulattoes, who straddled a very tenuous position in Haitian society. While they enjoyed a degree of freedom, they were repressed by the conservative White power structure that recognized them only as being people of color. Next came the slaves who, in Haiti suffered under some of the harshest treatment found in the Caribbean. Slaves in Haiti were legally considered to be property of the public and with little choice, yielded obedience. The master provided for the barest necessities of life for his slave "while he secures himself from injury or insult by an appeal to the laws." (Source 1, p. 406) The conditions in Haiti at this time were ripe for a Revolution and the only thing lacking was the proper action, which would soon...
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...defeat the maroons, instead they would come to an agreement. The Haitian Revolution and its legacies to the Caribbean The Haitian Revolution was the outcome of an extended war between the enslaved people and the French colonizers in the French colony of St. Domingue. The Haitian Revolution would also be influenced by the free Mulattoes who had suffered the inequality of being of white and black descent. Though the Haitian Revolution was not the first revolt to have taken place in the Caribbean, it is the most monumental and efficacious events in Caribbean history. The enslaved and free Mulattoes fought against the French rule “and in 1804 declared their country’s independence under the original Arawak name of Haiti.” During this time, there were three social classes in St. Domingue, the whites, the free Mulattoes and the black enslaved. The free Mulattoes fought vigorously to have some level of freedom, however they were still challenged with repression by the whites. The enslaved people suffered severe conditions like many enslaved people in the Caribbean. The colony of St. Domingue produced coffee and sugar, commodities that served to enrich the white colonizers. “By the second half of the 18th century, sugar and coffee were two of the world’s most traded commodities, and Saint-Domingue produced over 60 percent of the world’s coffee and 40 percent of the world’s sugar.” It would be the French Revolution that would inspire the Mulattoes and the enslaved to fight against...
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...The Haitian Revolution 1791-1804, became the pedestal of slave or black-rebellions across many nations in the world. It was an epoch of cruel, barbarous conflict in the French colony of Saint-Domingue (now known as Haiti). This remarkable rebellion was caused by the desire for Haitian blacks and multiracial people to be treated with respect and decency after being enslaved and treated cruelly for too long. "Haiti has had slavery, revolution, debt, deforestation, corruption, exploitation and violence," says Alex von Tunzelmann. A distinguished black leader named Toussaint L'Ouverture was one of the illustrious leaders of the Haitian revolution. He advocated for fraternity, equality, and liberty. He was also well known for being a pioneer of...
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...During the French Revolution the colony of St.Domingue now known as Haiti furnished almost two-thirds of France’s trade. Motivated by not only slave labor but fertile soil they produced several things such as sugar, coffee, and cotton on their main land France. By 1789 this colony along with Jamaica became not only the richest European colony but the main supplier of the world’s sugar and coffee which made it one of the most flourishing slave colonies in all of the Caribbean. The French Revolution of 1789 gave light to the Haitian Revolution of 1791. This revolution would soon lead to the emancipation of slavery and Haiti becoming the first republic to be ruled by African ancestry. The revolutions success can be accredited to several Haitian heroes but the most notable, Toussaint L’Overture. When the French Revolution began in the colony of St. Domingue there were four separate distinct groups of people. The first group being the white people who made up approximately 20,000 of the population and were further more broken down into two groups: The Planters and The Petit Blancs[3]. In comparison and contrast The Planters and The Petit Blancs were opposite. The Planters were wealthier, owned plantations and slaves, as far as politically they wanted independence, in the sense of the United States. On the other hand, the Petit Blancs were less powerful, often had very few slaves and were less independent-minded as far as Haiti’s independence and were more loyal to the French. The...
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...The Haitian Revolution and the Revolution of 1848 The Haitian Revolution and the Revolution of 1848 involve two distinct regions of the world. Despite the overlap of colonization linking the regions together, they hold different motivations for starting the revolution. The major similarities can be found in the economic setting of the locations. There are also some similarities in what happens after the revolutionary dust settles. The Haitian Revolution is arguably more influential due to the reinforcement of human rights and the establishment of the black run government. There is no doubt that the Haitian Revolution set an example for universal rights established during the Enlightenment. The setting of both revolutions occurs in a highly agricultural society. In Haiti, slave labor was churning out sugar and coffee...
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...Chapter 17 Atlantic Revolutions and Their Echoes 1750–1914 MARGIN REVIEW QUESTIONS Q. In what ways did the ideas of the Enlightenment contribute to the Atlantic revolutions? • The Enlightenment promoted the idea that human political and social arrangements could be engineered, and improved, by human action. • New ideas of liberty, equality, free trade, religious tolerance, republicanism, human rationality, popular sovereignty, natural rights, the consent of the governed, and social contracts developed during the Enlightenment, providing the intellectual underpinnings of the Atlantic revolutions. Q. What was revolutionary about the American Revolution, and what was not? • The American Revolution was revolutionary in that it marked a decisive political change. • It was not revolutionary in that it sought to preserve the existing liberties of the colonies rather than to create new ones. Q. How did the French Revolution differ from the American Revolution? • While the American Revolution expressed the tensions of a colonial relationship with a distant imperial power, the French insurrection was driven by sharp conflicts within French society. • The French Revolution, especially during its first five years, was a much more violent, far-reaching, and radical movement than its American counterpart. • The French revolutionaries perceived themselves as starting from scratch in recreating the social order, while the Americans sought...
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...HISTORY NOTES SLAVERY IN THE BAHAMAS. CONTINUED The Haitian Revolution- The Haitian Revolution was the only successful revolution in the Caribbean in which slaves totally overthrew the shackles of slavery. It started in 1791 in the French Colony of St.Domingue (Haiti).The whites and Mulattoes (mixed race) were at war over privileges by the revolutionary government of France. The people wanted three major things: Freedom, Equality and Fraternity (unity). The slaves under the leadership of Toussaint L’Ouverture, seized the opportunity to capture vital areas and to fight the French .By 1795, he became known as “Master of the Colony”. He encouraged the ex-slaves to restart the development of the economy. However, he was captured in 1801 by the French and placed in a French prison until he died of Pneumonia in 1803. [pic] Fighting continued until January 1, 1804, when the island was declared independent by Jean-Jacque Dessalines. He renamed the island “Haiti” which means “Mountainous” in Arawak language. The island serves as a beacon of hope to slaves in other islands of the Caribbean who were still living in bondage. HAITIAN SOCIAL HIERARCHY GRAND BLANCS [Equality with whites in France] | PETITE BLANCS [Equality& Fraternity] | MULATTOES [Equality] | SLAVES [Freedom] Dutty Boukman- He was a voodoo priest whose death was largely...
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...one of the wealthiest colonies in the America. They were known in particular for products such as sugar and coffee which were great for exporting because of the abundance of these products. One of the less favorable periods was from 1791-1804 when the Haitian Revolution took place. It was a period of conflict with the French colony of St. Dominique which ended slavery and as a result Haitian Republican was founded. In 1971 the slaves of St. Dominique started a revolution and as a result they successfully won permanent independence under the new nation. The rebellion that was let by Toussaint L’ Ouverture was also a help the Haitian to win independence and freedom in several unique ways. 1801 was an important year in Haiti’s history. In 1801 Toussaint L’ Ouverture conquered St. Dominique and abolished slavery. Napoleon Bonaparte had gained power of France and had been the one to send Toussaint to St. Dominique to conquer the island, hence the revolution. With the capture of the island Toussaint sent a report to Napoleon informing him of the abolishment of slavery in Haiti. Napoleon was strongly against slavery being abolished in Haiti and as a result he sent 1600 troops to capture Toussaint and have his troop’s reinstated slavery. In 1803 Napoleon’s and his troops were forced out of St. Domique by Toussaint his troops. President Jean Jacques declared Haiti a free republic; as a result many fled to St. Domique and then escaped to the United States. However they were harsher restrictions...
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...Teacher: Mrs. P. Meikle Year of Examination: 2015 Name: Mikhail Farquharson Subject: Caribbean History School: Glenmuir High School Candidate Number: Teacher: Mrs. P. Meikle Year of Examination: 2015 SCHOOL BASED ASSESSMENT SCHOOL BASED ASSESSMENT Theme 3: Resistance and revolt The economic effects of the Haitian Revolution on Haiti The Haitian Revolution was a great triumph in that it granted a large population of Africans freedom earlier than any other territory in the Caribbean, How true is it to say that early freedom was not worth the destruction of the entire Haitian Economy by the early 19th century? Rationale The condition of the Haitian economy today is far less than satisfactory, poverty and disease is rife and it seems there is no growth to be made in the near future. Battered by natural disasters, the Haitian economy is at an all-time low. One might wonder how this could be, Haiti or what it was, the great St.Domingue was among the richest and most successful places on the planet! This researcher decided to do research on this topic because as a historian I am curious to know why and when the Haitian economy started cascading to the point it is now. Historians who are curious to know more about the history of Haiti’s economy and those connected to Haiti by either residence or family may benefit from this research. Introduction The French colony St Domingue was formed when French settlers persistently...
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...catches on you. Today Haiti is being considered one of the poorest countries in the world. This once country used to be one of the richest place on earth with resources and minerals. But due to the many factors that contributed to the state of not letting the country move on. The country progress towards a better sustainable position simply has been neglected. The glorious moments all started (1791) when Haitian slaves rose and rebel against their French slave masters. The country became the first Black republic nation in the world. Since then Haitians have been paying for it ever, since then their powerful and uncompromising rebuke of human genocide, denomination and slavery. Now for over a century and half, the western hemisphere only Black nation was isolated from the rest of the world. Mainly because of the white supremacist mentality of colonial power, the under mind thinking of rebellious set by the slaves was determined to let Haiti be punished. This was done by simply refusing to trade with them, impose an economic embargo that last nearly two hundred years. The Haitians didn’t have reliable access to medical aid, sufficient food, clean water, technology and contraceptives. That’s why there is a high rate of birth. By understanding all this, now we know why Haiti became most impoverished in the west and with others in the world. The French and their allies successfully extracted more than a half a billion...
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...THE CAUSES AND EFFECT OF THE HAITIAN REVOLUTION The Haitian Revolution represents the most thorough case study of revolutionary change anywhere in the history of the modern world. In ten years of sustained internal and international warfare, a colony populated predominantly by plantation slaves overthrew both its colonial status and its economic system and established a new political state of entirely free individuals—with some ex-slaves constituting the new political authority. As only the second state to declare its independence in the Americas, Haiti had no viable administrative models to follow. The British North Americans who declared their independence in 1776 left slavery intact, and theirs was more a political revolution than a social and economic one. The success of Haiti against all odds made social revolutions a sensitive issue among the leaders of political revolt elsewhere in the Americas during the final years of the eighteenth century and the first decades of the nineteenth century. Yet the genesis of the Haitian Revolution cannot be separated from the wider concomitant events of the later eighteenth-century Atlantic world. Indeed, the period between 1750 and 1850 represented an age of spontaneous, interrelated revolutions, and events in Saint Domingue/Haiti constitute an integral—though often overlooked—part of the history of that larger sphere. These multi-faceted revolutions combined to alter the way individuals and groups saw themselves and their place in...
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