Haitian Revolution Flashcards
Who led a successful slave revolt and emancipated the slaves in the French colony of Saint-Domingue?
Toussaint L’Ouverture
Who was the leader of the Revolution / first Haitian emperor?
Jean-Jacques Dessalines
Jean-Jacques Dessalines
1st ruler of independent Haiti under the constitution of 1805; Lieutenant of Toussaint
What were the causes of this revolution?
Racism / unfairness against the mulatto population and slaves - Enslaved people and people of color inspired by American and French; Abused by planters → Death rate increased → Many slaves ran away + formed their own societies; During the French revolution, white settlers in Saint-Domingue created laws and the right to govern himself but didn’t grant political and legal equality to the mulattos → Civil war between white settlers and mulattos (gens de couleur)
What were the goals of this revolution?
Independence from the French; Abolish slavery aka equal citizenship for all people in St.Domingue; Freedom and equal rights
Maroons
Slaves who escaped to the mountains and built their own settlements
What Enlightenment ideas contributed to this revolution?
Liberty + equality - enslaved and mulatto population of sought to demand; Emphasis on human rights
Which Enlightenment thinkers contributed to this revolution?
JJR; John Locke
How did John Locke influence this revolution?
Natural rights of life, liberty, and property - Slaves didn’t have any of these
How did JJR influence this revolution?
All people are born with rights - not the case for the slaves; Popular sovereignty (government decision should base of on the people of the society) → Should base of on the blacks because they are the majority but that wasn’t the case
gens de couleur
people of color
Toussaint L’Ouverture
Issued a constitution granting equality to the slaves of Haiti; Didn’t declare independence to French–to not worry Napoleon
