Haitian Revolution

1. Haitian Revolution 1791-1804

2. In the beginning • Haiti(A French colony) derived great wealth from sugar. • Slaves were worked hard in the gang system to maximize profit. • Owners live in fear of rebellion since the island was inhabited by 90% slaves.

3. Classes on the island • 1. Blancs=Whites, rich elite landowners. • 2. Gens de Colour= Free blacks and Mullotto’s usually married to or related to the Blancs. Usually educated, literate, many were wealthy. • 3. African born slaves. High mortality rate due to extreme working conditions. However unlike in America, many Haitian slaves were captured from the same region of Africa. This allowed the slaves to retain some culture, but also to communicate, organize and plan for revolt. • 4. Maroons- African slaves that ran away from the plantations and live together in small bands on isolated parts of the island. Very dangerous group, very resistant to capture.

4. 1789 in France • Revolution had come to France by 1789, and the National Assembly became France’s new government. • In 1789 the National Assembly passed a series of laws, and published “The Declaration of the Rights of Man”, which declared that all men in the French empire were free and equal.

5. 1789 Back in Haiti • The Blancs saw the declaration as an opportunity to declare independence from France. • Independence would achieve two goals for the Blancs. 1. It would allow them to ignore to order to free everyone. 2. It would allow the rich elite to regulate their own trade with the rest of the world which in turn would make the rich eliteeven wealthier.

6. Vincent Oge 1790 • A wealth member of the Gens de colour named Vincent Oge returned to Haiti from France with news of the Declaration of the Right of Man. • He demanded that all Gens de Colour have the right to vote, but was denied by the colonial congress. • In response he led a short revolt that was crushed, and he was put to death by being “broken on the wheel”. • At this point the war was between free whites and free colored people.

7. These two images illustrate the meaning of being “broken on the wheel”.

8. 1791+1792 Haiti • 1791 Gens de colourallied with slaves to fight for their independence. • 100,000 slaves killed 4000 Blancs and destroyed 180 plantations. • 1792 Blacks controlled 1/3 of the island. • In order to put down the revolt in Haiti, France’s newly elected legislative assembly declared that all Gens de colour were free. • France sent 6000 soldiers to restore order.

9. 1793 • 1793 France declares war on Britain. • Blanc plantation owners side with the British in attempt to gain independence from France. • Spain, who controlled the other side of the island of Hispaniola, allied with Britain against France in the struggle. • Spain and Britain mainly participate in the war by supplying war materials.

10. L’Ouverture VS. Sonthonax • A former slave named Toussaint L’ Ouverture became a rebel leader and fought with the Spanish against the French. • When the British invaded the island in 1793 Ouverture convinced his rival, French General Sonthonax, to free the slaves on the island. • Upon freeing the slaves Ouverture switched sides and joined the French army to defeat the British invasion force in 1798. • 1801 Ouverture declared a new constitution on the island, declared independence from France and made himself the governor for life.

11. Napoleon's Response • Napoleon Bonaparte was not about to allow Ouverture to declare independence. • Bonaparte sends a large force to the island to restore slavery and French domination. • When the force arrived Ouverture was promised freedom if he would agree to merge his forces with that of the French military now on the island. He agreed, was taken prisoner and died in a jail in France.

12. 1801-1804 • For a short time order on the island was restored. However when the French military attempted to restore slavery to the island there were uprisings and rebellion. • For 4 years Napoleon and the French military tried to hold on to the island. But a British blockade and war in Europe turned Napoleon’s attention away from Haiti. • 1804 The rebels win and the French Army was driven from the island. Haiti won its independence.

13. What do I really need to know?? • The revolution in Haiti is the first successful slave revolt in history. • The struggle was centered on several issues: • a. Economics (The sugar plantations) • b. Class- Especially whether slavery would continue to exist, and whether some classes would gain more political rights. • c. The struggle between world powers for domination around the globe. France, Britain, and Spain. • d. Different groups chose/and changed sides based on which alliance could benefit them in the end.

14. What the revolution was not about • This revolution was not about taxation or the right to establish a democratic nation. • This revolution was not about religion. • Technology- There is no clear technological advantage during this time period.

15. What the Revolution was about • Social-This was a social revolution. Several social classes on the island challenged the norm and fought for what they wanted. • Economics-Was at the heart of the issue. France, at first, wanted to liberalize their legal system by passing the rights of man, but did not anticipate the economic effect. The Blancs favored independence to improve their economic situation. Britain and Spain join the fight to potentially lay claim to some or all of the island, and/or at very least to hurt their French world rivals economically. Even slaves had economic interest in mind. • Politics- Linked to power and control of an empire, the French and other countries had political/economic interest in the war in Haiti.