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Lesson 4&5: Haitian Revolution
Caribbean islands: Established around slave labor, slaves exported sugar canes, coffee, cotton, etc.
Most people are descendents of enslaved.
Haiti is 1/3 of an island, colonized by the french and Spanish, with Haiti being the french side.
Back in the days, Haiti was called Saint Dominigue.
Population Breakdown
20,000 - 40,000 whites (3.5% - 7% of population)
30,000 free people of color (5%)
15,000 mulattos (derogatory) (mixed white and black) 2.5%
500,000 slaves (88%)
Haiti pre-1791
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France Controlled
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500,000 people, mainly west African, enslaved.
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Saint Dominigue (both Haiti and Dominican republic combined) richest colony in the world.
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40% of world sugar, 50% of world coffee
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French Plantation owners watching french revolution, in fear of change in laws.
Haiti slavery, in perspective
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Worst conditions in the world
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Death rate of slaves: 50%
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Most died of overwork - sugar, coffee, indigo (dye)
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Torture was common
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Most slaves had memories of freedom in Africa
Pourquoi
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Bc slaves outnumber whites 10:1, slaves were allowed to keep customs.
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Vodou widely practiced.
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Not Witchcraft
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Religion gave slaves cultural expression + rallying point for protest&revolt
Que es Vodou?
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Widely practiced religion, mix of Christianity, worship of dead & tribal religions.
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Mostly in Benin
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Worships a high god - Bon Dieu; ancestors, generally the dead.
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Believed that when die, join high god in paradise.
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Practiced in Haiti, Cuba, Trinidad & Tobago, Brazil, southern USA, especially Louisiana.
Beginning of Revolt
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Upper,middle,mixed classed were infighting for power
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Mixed was a result of rape, since they were a result of slave masters & slaves, but white could not marry black
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Black slaves rebelled against their owners in 1791, taking advantage of the chaos
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Dutty Boukman, a Vodou priest led over 100,000 slaves and outnumbered the hated French.
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Called Boukman because one of the first few slaves that could read and taught reading.
1791: Guerilla Attack
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Disorganized, scattered warfare.
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Groups of runaway slaves (maroons/Marrons) entrenched in colony’s mountains & forests
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After, they attacked white-owned plantations gathered provisions & weaponry to avenge themselves against inhabitants.
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As number of ppl grew, these bands, sometimes consisting of thousands of people, would carry out hit-and-runs throughout the colony.
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Lacked centralized organization & leadership
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Resulted in 10,000black deaths & 2,000white deaths, and more than 1,000 plantations destroyed.
Uncle Tom - Derogatory term
people employed to watch over black slaves, mostly white people but if you kiss enough ass, a slave could be promoted to one of these positions, but these people tended to be meaner than white supervisors, as to maintain their position
Toussaint L’Ouverture
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Former slave who wanted the revolution’s success
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50 year old carriage driver
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Began organizing slaves in military unites
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Did not participate in original uprising
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Organized to fight against French, Spanish, and English.
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All three countries wanted to control island & ensure failure of slave revolt.
High on Power (1800)
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Toussaint becomes dictator & needs money.
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Reimposes plantation system, sugar = money
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Used freed slaves as forced labor (basically slavery)
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It doesnt work.
Aftermath
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Liberated the island from slavery but still demanded sugar&coffee production
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wanted to rebuilt French/Haitian economy
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Napoleon sought to return Saint Domingue to French control/Reinstate Slavery
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Sent French forces to overtake the island
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1802, Toussaint abducted&imprisoned in France
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Died of neglect & starvation in jail
Victory
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Combined forces w/ Spanish army to defeat French
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Rose to rank in Spanish army after victory
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Post abolition of slavery in France, he switched sides to France, promoted to general in French army
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Toussaint ruled over Haiti as governor-general
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Forced British withdrawal
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Defeated a mixed group in the south in bloody race war
Final Fight
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Jean-Jacques Dessalines led a revolt following the capture of L’Ouverture
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War broke & both sides resorted to mass murder
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Haitians killed all Europeans & French killed all blacks
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France could not re-supply their troops in time & suffered fever in camps, Haiti wins war in November 1803.
1804: Return to Normalcy
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Officially declares independence, renaming “Haiti” after Arawak (Native American) name for mountain.
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Land re-distribution ends plantation system, subsistence farming begins.
Haiti, the richest colony in the world, becomes one of the poorest nations on earth.
Day 2
André Rigaud
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Controlled Southern Haiti during civil war
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