History has been plagued with injustices due to power imbalances since society first came to be. The story of “humanity” is one filled with slavery, subjugation, and bloodshed. Throughout almost all of history, victory has been determined through whoever had the “bigger stick”, meaning whoever had the largest army, best economy, and in the case of the American Revolution, whoever had friends in high places (aka, the French). Because of how rare the idea of the underdogs pushing back against their bullies is, in history especially, whenever moments like that happen it is a moment to celebrate. In my opinion, the Haitian revolution of 1791 is a perfect example of these movements, while also being a historic cornerstone for the abolitionist movement.
The Haitian Revolution occurred in modern day Haiti, but what was then “Saint Dominigue”, in 1791 (Sutherland, Blackpast 2007). Saint Dominigue was in a very unique position, as not only was it France’s richest overseas colony, not only did the slaves outlaw the colonists nearly 10 to 1, but France had also just went an incredibly deadly, and horribly costly, revolutionary war. Due to this, France had the wonderful idea of imposing tariffs on their largest economic powerhouse at the time, Saint Dominigue, completely ignorant to the fact that just a few decades ago they assisted the United State in gaining independence over the same exact issue. Inspired by the revolutionary’s words and the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen of 1789”, which was essentially revolutionary France’s constitution, the Haitians felt empowered to stand up against the government, take power back for the people, and… begin a three-sided civil war in which the citizens did not challenge the government for power, but instead fought against themselves for control (Sutherland, Blackpast 2007). There was a silver lining to the revolutionary infighting, however, as the instability allowed the slave population of Saint Dominigue to finally rise up, leading to them successfully taking over not just the entire island of Saint Dominigue, but the neighboring island of the Dominican Republic as well. By 1801, the revolutionary government of Saint Dominigue had not just defeated their enslavers, but the government that allowed them to be enslaved in the first place, as well as Spain, who had control of the Dominican Republic before the revolutionaries freed it, and Britain, who attempted to seize control of the colony when it seemed like France had lost it (Sutherland, Blackpast 2007).
By 1801, something else historic happened: General Toussaint l’Oveture, the main leader of the revolution, declared himself Governor-General of Hispaniola (modern day Haiti) and abolished slavery in both Haiti and the Dominican Republic. l’Overture was the first former slave to become a leader of a free nation, just as Haiti was the first nation to be freed through a revolution carried out primarily from slaves (Sutherland, Blackpast 2007). While l’Overture’s rule did not last long, as Napoleon decided to once again try to subjugate Haiti and reinstitute slavery once he won the French Revolution which led to l’Overture’s capture and ultimate death in 1803, the Haitian government still stood after his death, and Haiti was declared the first republic ran by blacks in the world, as well as the second nation in the new world to gain its independence from Europe (Sutherland, Blackpast 2007).
The Haitian Revolution was a legendary time in history, if not just due to the historical gravity behind what the revolutionaries were fighting for. However, looking at their accomplishments during the war, from fighting not just one, nor two, but three colonial powers (France, Britain, and Spain) during their revolution, to doing all of this without the support of their “freedom loving” republic brothers to the north (I’m talking about the United States, by the way), this revolution was truly one for the history books.
Works Cited:
Sutherland, C. (2019, October 24). Haitian Revolution (1791-1804). Retrieved September 26, 2020, from https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/haitian-revolution-1791-1804/
The Haitian Revolution is such an important time in history. The fact that they were able to successfully fight against France, Spain, and Britain and free the slaves is truly inspiring. The Haitian Revolution should be known by everyone and the work of people like General Toussaint l’Oveture should be remembered for his courageous actions.
-Brendan
I think this post is very interesting! I was familiar with the Haitian Revolution, but I learned more about it from this post. I believe the Haitian Revolution is a vital part of history that is often overlooked, and the story behind it is fascinating. It is extremely impressive that the Haitian Revolution abolished slavery in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The Haitian Revolution was also the only successful slave revolt in history, making it even more critical for people to know about it. You wrote the post very well, which made it easy to understand and learn about the Haitian Revolution.
This was really interesting to read! I have not actually heard much about this revolution but the whole time I was reading it I wanted to know more. I agree that this revolution was greatly important for their community as they fought for so many things against so many different people. I respect them so much for having the strength and courage, as slaves, to fight up against the people who want them to be locked away as servants. I really loved the format of how you wrote this where you broke it up by pictures that were relevant to the context of what I had just read. Overall really informative and good blog post and I cannot wait to read your next one!
I love how historical and factual your post is. I was able to learn something new about history. I think you did a really good job explaining the history of the Haitian Revolution. I don’t know a whole lot about historical events. After reading your post, it reminded me of why history is good to learn about. It is definitely interesting to learn about how people fought for their freedom. It makes you wonder what would’ve happened if things remained the same as back then. For example, if these people weren’t as brave as they were and continued to silently suffer, how different would the world be?