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Overview of the Haitian Revolution
Context and Beginnings:
The revolution began in the French colony of Saint-Domingue, which was the most prosperous overseas colony due to its production of sugar, coffee, indigo, and cotton generated by an enslaved workforce.
The initial triggers were the French Revolution’s ideals and the brutal conditions of slavery. The free people of color began the fight for their rights, inspired by the French Revolution’s ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity.
Major Phases and Leaders:
The uprising began on August 22, 1791, led by slaves in the northern region of Saint-Domingue.
Leaders like Dutty Boukman, a vodou houngan, played significant roles in the early stages.
Rise of Toussaint Louverture:
- Toussaint Louverture, a former slave who gained his freedom years earlier, emerged as a prominent leader by 1793.
- He was instrumental in the strategic success of the rebellion, negotiating with various powers, managing the colony’s defenses, and restoring its productivity.
- British and Spanish Involvement:
- The conflict drew in the Spanish and British, who sought to undermine French power in the Caribbean. Louverture initially aligned with the Spanish but switched allegiance to the French Republic after France abolished slavery in 1794.
- 1801 Constitution:
- Louverture established an autonomous government and drafted a constitution that abolished slavery, made him governor for life, and asserted the colony’s autonomy, although still under the French umbrella.
- Napoleon’s Intervention and Louverture’s Capture:
- In 1802, Napoleon Bonaparte sent a large expedition to restore French authority and slavery. Louverture was captured in 1802 and died in a French prison in 1803.
- Independence and Jean-Jacques Dessalines:
- The revolution continued under Jean-Jacques Dessalines, who declared the independence of Haiti on January 1, 1804, making it the second republic in the Americas.
