# 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.** ![Image](https://upload.cafenono.com/image/slashpageHome/20240227/202345_NtPsoZS7KMhasAY1eK?q=75&s=1280x180&t=outside&f=webp) ### 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 - France Controlled - 500,000 people, mainly west African, enslaved. - Saint Dominigue (both Haiti and Dominican republic combined) richest colony in the world. - 40% of world sugar, 50% of world coffee - French Plantation owners watching french revolution, in fear of change in laws. ### Haiti slavery, in perspective - Worst conditions in the world - Death rate of slaves: 50% - Most died of overwork - sugar, coffee, indigo (dye) - Torture was common - Most slaves had memories of freedom in Africa ![Image](https://upload.cafenono.com/image/slashpageHome/20240227/202346_Le08q6MUHcQ4sj5OZ0?q=75&s=1280x180&t=outside&f=webp) ### Pourquoi - Bc slaves outnumber whites 10:1, slaves were allowed to keep customs. - Vodou widely practiced. - **Not Witchcraft** - Religion gave slaves cultural expression + rallying point for protest&revolt ### Que es Vodou? - Widely practiced religion, mix of Christianity, worship of dead & tribal religions. - Mostly in Benin - Worships a high god - Bon Dieu; ancestors, generally the dead. - Believed that when die, join high god in paradise. - Practiced in Haiti, Cuba, Trinidad & Tobago, Brazil, southern USA, especially Louisiana. ### Beginning of Revolt - Upper,middle,mixed classed were infighting for power - Mixed was a result of rape, since they were a result of slave masters & slaves, but white could not marry black - Black slaves rebelled against their owners in 1791, taking advantage of the chaos - Dutty Boukman, a Vodou priest led over 100,000 slaves and outnumbered the hated French. - Called Boukman because one of the first few slaves that could read and taught reading. ### 1791: Guerilla Attack ![Image](https://upload.cafenono.com/image/slashpageHome/20240227/202347_XmM7NBNXHo6SMU45nB?q=75&s=1280x180&t=outside&f=webp) - Disorganized, scattered warfare. - Groups of runaway slaves (maroons/Marrons) entrenched in colony’s mountains & forests - After, they attacked white-owned plantations gathered provisions & weaponry to avenge themselves against inhabitants. - As number of ppl grew, these bands, sometimes consisting of thousands of people, would carry out hit-and-runs throughout the colony. - Lacked centralized organization & leadership - 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 - Former slave who wanted the revolution’s success - 50 year old carriage driver - Began organizing slaves in military unites - Did not participate in original uprising - Organized to fight against French, Spanish, and English. - All three countries wanted to control island & ensure failure of slave revolt. ### High on Power (1800) - Toussaint becomes dictator & needs money. - Reimposes plantation system, sugar = money - Used freed slaves as forced labor (basically slavery) - It doesnt work. ### Aftermath - Liberated the island from slavery but still demanded sugar&coffee production - wanted to rebuilt French/Haitian economy - Napoleon sought to return Saint Domingue to French control/Reinstate Slavery - Sent French forces to overtake the island - 1802, Toussaint abducted&imprisoned in France - Died of neglect & starvation in jail ![Image](https://upload.cafenono.com/image/slashpageHome/20240227/202350_i9LWxiqQ84YUJVMEZ6?q=75&s=1280x180&t=outside&f=webp) ### Victory - Combined forces w/ Spanish army to defeat French - Rose to rank in Spanish army after victory - Post abolition of slavery in France, he switched sides to France, promoted to general in French army - Toussaint ruled over Haiti as governor-general - Forced British withdrawal - Defeated a mixed group in the south in bloody race war ![Image](https://upload.cafenono.com/image/slashpageHome/20240227/202351_T3sApO5GEadLAO5O5B?q=75&s=1280x180&t=outside&f=webp) ### Final Fight - Jean-Jacques Dessalines led a revolt following the capture of L’Ouverture - War broke & both sides resorted to mass murder - Haitians killed all Europeans & French killed all blacks - France could not re-supply their troops in time & suffered fever in camps, Haiti wins war in November 1803. ### 1804: Return to Normalcy - Officially declares independence, renaming “Haiti” after Arawak (Native American) name for mountain. - 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 - Controlled Southern Haiti during civil war - For the site tree, see the [root Markdown](https://slashpage.com/atwnotes.md).