Haiti, during both economic wealth and poverty, was challenged by the suffering of its inhabitants; Alejo Carpentier uniquely addresses this marvel with the use of the ‘marvellous’ in his novel The Kingdom of this World (1949). This novel lectures on the progress of the revolution through Haiti’s era of emancipation during the turn of the eighteenth century. A stylistic decision by Carpentier to retell these events using magic realism leaves the reader confused and challenged to comprehend his fictionalized history. Through the character Ti Noël, and several others, the reader travels through this revolution and the marvellously exaggerated events that transpired. Carpentier uses magic realism to personify the desires and values of the numerous characters within the text as a means of action. Before Haiti’s independence it was known as Saint Domingue by its colonizer, France, formerly Spain. During French possession Saint Domingue’s coffee and sugar plantation success lead to it becoming an economic goldmine to the French. The dividends gained by the colony’s plantations sprouted from its large foundation of slave labour. The island was deeply divided by social class which resulted in frequent minor skirmishes between slaves and white plantation owners. However in 1791 a serious planned uprising saw the slaves, who heavily outnumbered the whites, seize control of large regions in Saint Domingue. In an effort to preserve its rights to the island, the French granted freedom to the slaves, although limited. Slaves desired rights that would grant them land and higher ranking jobs while Maroons (high-ranking blacks) sought the continuation of plantation work under the French and a third party, the whites, wanted the reinstatement of... ... middle of paper ... ..., and Giroux, 2006. Print. Dubois, Laurent. "Haiti." Europe 1789-1914: Encyclopedia of the Age of Industry and Empire. Ed. John Merriman and Jay Winter. Vol. 2. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2006. 1035-1037. Gale World History In Context. Web. 9 Apr. 2011. Knight, Franklin W., “The Haitian Revolution”. The American Historical Review 105.1 (2000): 29 pars. 9. Web. Apr. 2011 Parmisano, S. F. "Desire." New Catholic Encyclopedia. 2nd ed. Vol. 4. Detroit: Gale, 2003. 689-690. Gale World History In Context. Web. 10 Apr. 2011. "Christophe, Henri (1767-1820)." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Gale World History In Context. Web. 10 Apr. 2011. "Toussaint-Louverture." Macmillan Encyclopedia of World Slavery. Ed. Paul Finkelman and Joseph Calder Miller. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 1998. Gale World History In Context. Web. 10 Apr. 2011.
The Nation of Haiti has been plagued with excessive bad luck when it comes to external invasion. Whether it be larger countries taking control, or outsiders brought in as slaves, Haiti has endured many hardships. These issues, while very common in a lot of countries, are exposed in a short story by a native Haitian. In “A Wall of Fire Rising”, Edwidge Danticat illustrates a myriad of historical issues in Haiti from the 17th to the 20th century through a series of events in one family’s life. One such issue would be the Haitian Revolution and the consequences that came of it.
The 1805 Constitution of Haiti is a document that first declares Haiti’s independence from any colonizing power. It declares that the people of Haiti are free and will forever be free, which in many ways is similar to the list of grievances in the United States Declaration of Independence. The people of Haiti would not be subjected to living and working for a king or emperor. The Constitution then goes on to list the rights that Haitian Citizens will have under their new found government. In these rights they use the same language as the United States Constitution, which was made popular by the period of enlightment. This suggest that Haiti was capable of creating a civilized society, which counteracted the notion that blacks were incapable of creating and maintaining civilized society.
Haiti began as the French colony Saint-Domingue. The island was filled with plantations and slaves to work on them. Almost a decade and a half after its settlement, this colony paved the way for many changes throughout the French empire and many other slave nations. Through its difficult struggle, we examine whether the slave revolt of Saint-Domingue that began in the late 16th century was justifiable and whether its result of creating the free nation of Haiti was a success.
Cobban, Alfred . "Historians and the Causes of the French Revolution." Aspects of the French Revolution. New York: George Braziller, 1968.
Schmidt, Hans. The United States Occupation of Haiti, 1915-1934. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers UP, 1995. Print.
Before the revolution started in Saint Domingue, Saint Domingue was producing 60% of the coffee around the world and produced 40% of the worlds sugar at the same time (Haitian Revolution, www.webster.edu). Comparing all the French colonies, Saint Domingue was the most profitable and the most successful of its possessions. Saint Domingue was the most prosperous and wealthiest island in the Caribbean, but for Plantation Owners. In 1789, mulattoes were about 28,000, followed by white people which where 32,000, and the last group was black slaves, which numbered up to 500,000 (Haitian Revolution, www.webster.edu). The lowest class in saint Domingue was the black slaves, which outnumbered the whites 10 to 1. Saint Domingue had so many slaves that out of the 1 million slaves at this time in the Caribbean, the slave population in saint Domingue mad up half of it. Since this colony was mostly driven by its slave labor, it was one of the richest and the colony that gave more profit of them all in that time. What made this colony one of the richest colonies was their land. Their soil was very fertile and it had and ideal climate, letting it grow a lot of its main productions, like sugar, coffee, cocoa, Indigo, tobacco, cotton and vegetables. When the revolution started to spark in 1789, there we...
This article explores Haitian Independence in terms of a war for national liberation. The disassociation from white governance left a window of opportunity for long-term nat...
Although, after the revolution, both France and Haiti’s economy was negatively impacted, as a result of the violent rebellions that occurred in order to acquire independence. France was required to overthrow their own government, which was an internal force, however Haiti was required to overthrow an external force, which was France. Nevertheless, both applied violence in their movements and were influenced by significant leaders who enabled the success of the revolution, as they desired political equality within society. Plus, each possessed the same government after the revolutions took place. Thus, even though the French Revolution and Haitian Revolution occurred chronologically in this era of changing society, they both possess distinct aspects, as well as certain similarities.
Katz, William L. Toussaint L’Ouverture and the Haitian Revolution by William Loren Katz. HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY, n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2014. .
The Haitian revolution was the a major event that affected European colonialism throughout the New world. The start of the Haitian revolution was the imbalance in Haitian society, the slaves made up the vast majority of the population and were constantly being treated with disrespect. They were deprived of economic ability and social equality. Due to the poor working conditions, lack of protection and basic living opportunities, and increasing segregation and ability for self government. The French Revolution began around 1787 and ended in 1799. During this time period, the fight to end slavery was a very big controversy. The Haitian Revolution also showed similar characteristics to
Kirchberger, Joe H. The French Revolution and Napoleon. New York: Facts on File inc, 1989.
Haiti had over a half million enslaved Africans working on sugar plantations owned by the French. The sugar was hugely profitable, but conditions for enslaved worker were horrendous. Many were cruelly over worked and under fed. Haiti also had a population of both free and enslaved mulattoes. Free mulattoes, however, had few right and were badly treated by the French. In 1791, a slave revolt exploded in northern Haiti. Under the able leadership of Toussaint L'Ouverture, Haitians would fight for freedom and pave the way for throwing off French rule.
Fatton Jr. , Robbert. Haiti's Predatory republic :The unending transition to demcracy . Colorado: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2002.
In the night of August 22, 1791, which initiated the Haitian Revolution, Dutty Boukman, a slave and religious leader gathered a gang of slaves and uttered one of the most important prayers in the Black Atlantic religious thought.1 The prayer embodies the historical tyranny of oppression and suffering, and the collective cry for justice, freedom, and human dignity of the enslaved Africans at Saint-Domingue. The Guy who is not happy with the situation tha...
The administration under William Taft that was in power in the United States at this time saw Haiti experience almost continuous insurrection and political disorders. American warships were constantly present in the region, and by 1911 there were never less than five patrolling the Haitian waters at any given time. Things became so unstable in August that the Naval Command in Haiti was granted the power to ...