The Haitian Revolution

General Facts

• Most successful of the many African slave rebellions

• Established Haiti as a free, black republic

• Africans and people of African ancestry freed themselves from French colonization and from slavery

• Only the revolt on Saint-Domingue succeeded in permanently liberating an entire island

Precursors

• French engineers constructed complex irrigation systems to increase sugarcane production

• By the 1740s, Saint-Domingue had become one of the main suppliers of the world’s sugar

•Sugar production depended on the large amount of manual labor provided by black slaves in the Haiti colonial plantation economy

•The white planters knew they were vastly outnumbered by slaves and lived in fear of rebellion

1791 Slave Rebellion

• The African population of Saint-Domingue began to hear of agitation by the rich European planters

• They began to realize that planters in power would mean even harsher conditions

• Free people of color began actively appealing for full civil equality

• Following the execution of Vincent Oge, freed blacks rebelled began and resisted treaties with the colonists

• Though the slaves were not expected to participate in the rebellion, a great slave uprising in August of 1791 pushed the country into civil war

• Eventually, the slaves prevailed, killing masters, overseers and other whites

Causes of Rebellion

• White landowners passed legislation that set restrictions on the rights of other colors and classes

• People of color wanted to prevent landowners from having more power

• White colonists and black slaves frequently had violent conflicts

Reasons for Final Victory

• The determination and organization of rebel forces

• Yellow Fever that infected the landowners

• The support of the British after they once again declared war on France in 1802

New Haitian Government

• First black republic in modern history

• Went directly from being a French colony to self-governance through a process that has a lasting effect on the nation

• The system demonstrated the effectiveness of violence and force in controlling the majority

Created By…

Richard Beal

Censored

Mischa Kerkhoven

Tate Byers

Seth Strickland

And…

Matthew Rollins