The Haiti Revolution, 1791-1804

Question 1

haiti

Answer 1

in, 1695, the treaty of Ryswick between france and spain, gave france legal right to the western part of hispanola which was called saint domingue

Question 2

economic features of st domingue before 1789

Answer 2

in 1734, colonists began to cultivate coffee. by 1788, there were 3000 coffee plantations, 800 sugar plantations, nearly 800 cotton and 2,950 indigo plantations. The colony supplied half of Europe with tropical produce. It was the world’s premier sugar producer. The french saw their colonies as existing exclusively for the profit metropolis.

The Pearl of the Antilles

Question 3

social features before 1789

Answer 3

before 1789, saint domingue was made up of different classes:

first class: planters, top royal officials GRAND BLANCS

second class: merchants and professional men who hated the planters

third class: artisans, shopkeepers and bookkeepers PETIT BLANCS, the lowest group of the whites

35,000

4. mulattoes/free coloureds and the free negros
   =28,000 they possessed 1/3 of real estate and personal property. petit blancs resented them and the law forbade/barred them from holding any public office or any legal position or to be officers in the militia. they desired equality with the whites. they were denied social and pilitical equality with the whites.
5. 450,000 slaves, the slave laws of 1685 didctated how they should be controlled and treated.

Question 4

political features before 1789

Answer 4

officials sent from france governed st. domingue. the head of the government was the governor and Intendant. the governor represented the King and the Intendant basically everything else. In 1787, the island was granted an assembly, as an advisory body to represent the local opinion without any legislative power. The assembly was made up of the richest and most powerful (the grand blancs) who sought for the opportunity to rule the colony themselves and for the greater freedom of trade.

Question 5

Social divisions/stratification/features GRAND BLANCS

Answer 5

the 35,000 whites were not a united group. The grand blancs and the petit blancs were divided by the fact that the grand blancs had property, education and controlled the colonial assembly. Whereas the petit blancs were poorer, had little education and no political power. poor whites wanted faternity. brotehrhood and the rich whites, grand blancs felt and believed that the petit blancs had no important role and function in the economy of the colony and in the society as a whole.

Question 6

GENS DE COLOEUR

Answer 6

25,000 free coloureds and free blacks. the petit blancs hated them and were jealous of the fact that their wealth was growing.
The gens de coloeur desired equality and some coloureds resented the free blacks and slaves as they felt being associated them kept them down, causing even more disunity. SOME FREE COLOUREDS OWNED SLAVES

Question 7

WHAT THE GENS DE COLOUER COULDN”T DO

Answer 7

• can’t carry arms
• couldn’t marry whites
• couldn’t celebrate european festivals
• no political power
• couldn’t use frecnh titles madame monsieur
• can’t wear silk petticoats-only cotton
• couldn’t sit with whites during church or while eating

Question 8

NOIRS

Answer 8

blacks
450,000-500,000
desired permanent freedom and to be treated like humans

Question 9

nature of discontent before 1789

Answer 9

the whites specifically the creoles those born in the colony, resented those from the ‘mother country’ who occupied the important offices of the government and who were ofc richer. The grand blancs wanted to make their own laws(self govern) and have a greater freedom of trade. The petit blancs although hating the grand plancs, both agreed on one thing, they feared and disliked the free coloureds.
who got education and property sowing even more seeds of hatred, envy and fear. The whites feared that the few thousand free blacks, coloueds would pair up with the half a million slaves and revolt.

the free coloures/mulattoes those who were educated in Paris during the Seven Years War returned home, and their education and accomplishments filled the whites with envy. The whites greatest fear was that the free coloureds would join forces with the slaves and lead a slave uprsising. As a results laws were made to preserve the differnces between the whites and coloureds. The mulattoes resented the discrimiantion and the denial of equaility with the whites

the slaves lived in a colony where the treatement and conditions they endured would become the worst any slave in any colony of a west indian island would hv to endure. causing deep hate for their enslavers. They were worked excesssively and poorly fed.

Question 10

reasons for french rev

Answer 10

Enlightenment ideas, food shortages, and the American Revolution(Taxation without representation”)
LIBERTY EQUALITY AND FRATERNITY
ancien regime causes
Poor crop seasons, hunger, and heavy taxation

1. resented the riches and wealth of the nobility and clergy, who were exempted from nearly all taxtation whereas the poor/peasants were taxed heavily as the French government expenses grew in the 18th century.
   2.

Question 11

ancien regime- another reason why they revolted

Answer 11

the political and social system of the Kingdom of France from the Late Middle Ages until 1789 and the French Revolution

clergy (the First Estate), nobles (Second Estate), peasants and bourgeoisie (Third Estate).

Question 12

white plantocracy in Haiti wanted in 1789

Answer 12

1. wanted the assemblies set up in 1789 to be granted the power to make laws
2. they wanted equality with the french whites
3. they wanted an end to the trading restrictions imposed from paris
4. they wanted to rid themselves of the royalist bureaucracy

the white plantocracy believed they could capitalise on what was happening in france and gain independence or at least a great measure of autonomy more than they had at least.

Question 13

improvemnets wanted by free coloureds and slaves

Answer 13

1. wanted equality politically and socially with whites
2. discrimination against them to be removed
3. slaves desired personal freedom

Question 14

discriminatory laws against the mullatoes

Answer 14

the whites in the colonial legislature had passed laws to limit the opportunites and influence of the free coloureds.

1. the free coloureds were not allowed to:
   wear european dress
   meet togther for weddings or feasts
   use the title of madame or monsieur
   marry whites
   plau european games
2. they had to join the local militia, provid etheir own arms
3. they were responsible for the froced upkeep of the roads

Question 15

Reasons for conflict and discrimination against whites and free coloureds/mulattoes

Answer 15

1. many began to amass wealth as artisans and proprietors , the whites resented this, specifically the poor less important whites
2. they were not white, racial prejudice was rampant, explict and overt, the whites saw themesleves as inferior
3. The laws whites in colonial legislature passed to limit their influence and opportunites
4. Education, many mulattoes were educated
5. Fear, teaming up with the blacks
6. Many free coloureds sought after high positions in the local governmnet, militia, judiciary

Question 16

why the mulatto population grow

Answer 16

concubinage which the French Slaves Laws, Code Noir tried to prevent but ultimately failed. By 1755, they grew

Question 17

attempts by free coloureds to improve their position in society

Answer 17

1. many were able to acquire wealth as a proprietor- a holder of property as no laws restricted this
2. some of them sent thier children to Framce to be educated
3. after the french revolution, supported by Amis des Noirs many free coloureds petitioned the national assembly for political rights, like Vincent Oge

Question 18

how did the coloured revolt led by vincent oge start

Answer 18

encourged by the amis de noirs, in march 1790, the national assembly sent a decree to st. domingue on behalf of the free coloureds.
the decree stated:
1. free persons over 25 who met specific income qualifications were able to vote

2. full citizenship should be granted to children born of free parents.

The whites objected to these concessions instigating the free coloureds to organise a revolt subsequently leading vincent oge left paris to meet with thomas clarkson in london and got money to gain arms and ammunition in the united states

Question 19

why the coloured revolt lost

Answer 19

vincent oge tried to organise a revolt on behalf of the coloureds with the help of a few free coloureds but they lost.

two reasons:
1. only a few coloureds were prepared to fight for their rights

2. the whites were better trained, armed and organised than the free coloureds
3. the free coloureds had no external support,like from the neighbouring santo Domingo, so when Oge and a few of his companions fled to the Spanish territory they were captured, returned and brutally executed.

Question 20

death of oge ripple effect

Answer 20

after oge was brutally executed support for the planters in France decreased and France decreed that the coloureds are now granted with the right to vote for members of the colonial assembly. The planter-controlled assembly refused to put the law into effect. In response, coloureds and planters began to form their own militias and armed their slaves, they began to fight.

Question 21

How the conflict between the whites and coloureds provided slaves with the opportunity to fight for their freedom

Answer 21

1. the whites and coloureds were so engrossed in their struggle, that they neglected the slaves and supervision broke down. They were left fairly free to plan their revolt.
2. their conflict was SO INTENSE there was no immediate possibility of uniting to fight against the slaves.
3. they left their properties unprotected and vulnerable to attacks by slaves
4. their conflicted provided slaves with excellent timing for the beginning of the revolt

Question 22

reasons the slaves revolted in 1791

Answer 22

1. lack of vigilance, the whites and coloureds were so engrossed in their struggle, they neglected the slaves and so the supervision of the slaves broke down. This negligence gave the slaves a great opportunity to plan their revolt
2. the conflict between the free groups of saint domingue was so intense, that they was no chance for unity to fight against the revolting slaves in the near future
3. they left their properties unattended and vulnerable
4. the turmoil in france also proved to be a distraction for the whites, RESULTING IN FRAGMENTED CONTROL OF THE SLAVES
5. slaves embraced the slogan of the french rev: liberty, equality and fraternity, THEY WANTED THESE RIGHTS FOR THEMSELVES BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, THEY WANTED THEIR FREEDOM
6. they wanted to practice their culture unimpeded
7. they did not want to be under the harsh conditions they were subjected to /that came with a life in slavery: rape of women, hunger beatings, splitting up of damily.
8. vastly outnumbered whites so they were confident in teir ability to beat them. strength in numbers
9. many free coloureds own slaves, some even had slave mothers and other relatives who were enslaved but the advantages of being white were so obvious, they became prejudiced against slaves, and saw them as inferior

Question 23

positive effects to the revolt

Answer 23

the 12 years of fighting, affected haiti positively and negatively

1. the slaves defeated all the forces with whom they fought the white plantocracy, the free coloureds of haiti, napoleon bonaparte, france, britain and spain
2. haiti became the first black state in the caribbean.
3. this victory ended centuries of white oppression of blacks, it proved that blacks could unite for freedom
4. emergence of leaders among the slaves (talk abt christope dessalines)
5. blacks had greater access to land

Question 24

negative effects

Answer 24

the revolution brought death and destruction in its wake, and it was a cause of much pain in haiti.

1. there was a tremendous loss of lives, coloureds, whites, blacks, thousands died from fighting and some were victims of yellow fever
2. the size of the population was drastically reduced as a result of death and also many people fleeimg to other territories
3. the country was totally devastated. ports, towns, planations, estates
4. the economy was destroyed. planations were divided for subsistence living. the economy never returned to the pre-1791 prosperity
5. the major countries of the world, france, us, britain, spain placed an embargo on haiti and refused to trade with her
6. Much political instability after independence

Question 25

social changes

Answer 25

1. it aroused hope among slaves in the caribbean that freedom was possible
2. in some territories like st kitts and antigua, there was a greater fear of slave revolts that led to a suspicion and fear of emigres from st domingue
3. many territories in the c’bean recived and influx of refugees mainly white
4. emigration led to an increased french creole population in these territories

Question 26

economic changes

Answer 26

1. increase in the price of sugar, as the collapse of the largest sugar producer, st domingue, boosted sugar production elsewhere
2. the price of cotton and coffee increased. jamaica breifly benefited, however, cuba became the world’s largest sugar producer as st domingue’s successor
3. cuba’s increase of french planters and techncians, helped to create new and better refining technology for sugar
4. emigres helped to expand the cocoa industry in other territories like trinidad

Question 27

political changes

Answer 27

1. the rev. led to the spread of the 18th century struggle in the cbean between briatin and france
2. slavery in the c bean became even more repressive
3. it caused increased slave unrest in jamaica and contributed to the second maroon war
4. french emigres spread stories of the horrors in st domingue. these stories strengthen the argument for abolition

Question 28

reasons haitain rev caused fear in c bean

Answer 28

1. inspiration to salves
2. whites feared competition from french emigres / creoles/ exiles

Question 29

reasons for increase in slave rebellions in the 1800’s

Answer 29

1. the treatment of slaves contiued to be severe, and worsened. many were overworked as the abolition of the slave trade in 1808 made it harder to acquire new slaves for labour
2. planters punsihed the slaves even more and this harsh treatment clearly backfired, although they tried to instill hopelessness in the slaves
3. news of the abolition movement in britain slaves misunderstood what was heppening like in barbados
4. the lack of implemention of the amelioration proposals covinced the slaves they needed to fight for their freedom in order to ever achieve it\
5. non-conformist missionaries

Question 30

political ability of free coloureds and slaves before 1789

Answer 30

the free coloureds were debarred from participating, either as candiates or as voters in elections

the slaves sought freedom.