What Were The Causes Of The Haitian Revolutions

507 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The Haitian revolution influence

Revolutions are history’s most defining events to ever occur, and that is because historians can analyze perspectives from the people instead of the leaders who have the power to change historical storylines to their advantage. Revolutions provide an emotional perspective of what it felt like to live in harsh and oppressive civilizations, and they showed proof of what humanity is capable of doing when it comes to eliminating government-imposed fear and standing up for the right cause. Although many revolutions have failed in the past, the ones that succeeded have left remarkable imprints for human consciousness. A tremendous example of that was the Haitian revolution that lasted from 1791 to 1804, which was a tormenting battle between French colonists and African slaves that resulted in the most successful …show more content…

The Haitian revolution was indirectly caused by the French revolution. The chaos in France affected denizens of Saint-Domingue, and each of the four social classes protested in order to protect or improve their conditions. The Grand Blancs protested against the government’s involvement in trade laws, the freed Africans protested against the discrimination they received from the French landlords and the Petit Blancs, and the Petit Blancs protested against the advantages that the Grand Blancs had. Later on, the African slaves protested against the abuse from the French people when it was exposed that King Louis XVI of France passed the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen and declared them as free citizens. After years of disagreements towards the declaration and clashes between the social hierarchies, the African slaves decided to start a massive revolution that was led by Revolutionary Toussaint L’Ouverture. After being cornered by the African slaves and long-time European enemies, the National Convention in Paris was compelled to free

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of The Unknown American Revolution

    1147 Words  | 3 Pages

    The American Revolution has too often been dominated by the narrative of the founding fathers and has since been remembered as a “glorified cause.” However, the American Revolution was not a unified war but a civil war with many internal disputes that wreaked havoc and chaos throughout America. In his book, The Unknown American Resvolution, Gary B. Nash attempts to unveil the chaos that the American Revolution really was through the eyes of the people not in power, including women, African American slaves, and Native Americans. In his book, Gary B. Nash emphasizes their significance in history to recount the tale of the American Revolution not through the eyes of the privileged elite but through the eyes of the people who sacrificed and struggled the most, but were left forgotten, in their endeavors to reinvent America.

    Read More

  • Louverture's Efforts as Leader of the Haitian Revolution

    761 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Haitian Revolution was time of hectic blood shed war. Toussaint Louverture was the leader of the Haitians out of slavery and free from the Spanish. The colony of St. Domingue was a slave island, where slaves would work to make goods to be sent to Spain in return for nothing. The people were treated harsh and done wrong but by the efforts of Louverture they will become free. Louverture was the leader of the revolution but failed to complete his duties because of capture Jean- Jacques Dessalines took over in 1802. He was captured before the war before the end of the war. The Revolution lasted from 1789-1803 until everything was settled and St. Domingue was a free land called Haiti.

    Read More

  • Why Did Haiti Justified

    1329 Words  | 3 Pages

    Haiti began as the French colony of Saint-Domingue. The island was filled with plantations and slaves working 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 in creating the free nation of Haiti was a success. The slave insurrection began in August 1791 in Saint-Domingue.

    Read More

  • The Political Thought Of The American Revolution By Clinton Rossiter

    2116 Words  | 5 Pages

    The fight for change and liberty is no stranger to this world. Since 2740 BC, over hundreds of revolutions and rebellions have taken place, all of which demanded a reform or a change of some nature. Within the last century, many major revolutions have been developing in continents such as Asia and Africa. In the non-fiction book The Political Thought of the American Revolution, written by Clinton Rossiter, Rossiter claims that perhaps modern revolutions, such as these in Asia and Africa, have deviated far from the core foundations of the American Revolution. In this book, Rossiter conveys that the American Revolution was the first revolution to have success from breaking away from another country and government.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Crane Brinton's The Anatomy Of Revolution

    1532 Words  | 4 Pages

    In his book, The Anatomy of Revolution, Crane Brinton describes four historically significant revolutions in modern states, the English Revolution of the 1640s, the American Revolution of 1776, the French Revolution of 1789, and the Russian Revolution of 1917, and compares uniform trends and commonalities within those revolutions. Brinton hypothesizes that those revolutions have specific similarities in their inception, manifestation, conduct, and conclusion.

    Read More

  • The Haitian Revolution In Saint Domingue

    2175 Words  | 5 Pages

    The French Revolutions ideology of freedom and equality lead to the Haitian revolution in Saint Domingue. Saint Domingue was one of the richest colonies in the entire world during this time. It made a big profit for France, but the rules were also unfair. They favored only to the slave owners and whites. This is why many slaves wanted to revolt. Before the revolution, Saint Domingue was a major producer of coffee and sugar.

    Read More

  • Similarities And Differences Of The French Revolution And The Haitian Revolution

    1415 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the French Revolution, there was an unequal social structure resulting in the Third Estate or the lower class being taxed heavily by the First and Second estates, regardless of the population being larger. In Haiti, however, individuals were slaves and possessed no rights or freedom, therefore resulting in an unfair class system as well as racial tensions. Initially, France’s government faced major debts as a result of expensive wars and immoderate spending, causing them to tax the Third Estate, leading to a revolution. Haiti’s economy, however, flourished as France acquired free labor from slaves who produced essential goods for trade and wealth.

    Read More

  • Haiti Essay

    1231 Words  | 3 Pages

    Racial caste systems in Haiti prior to the Revolution were used to classify where everyone fit within their society. Originally there were three classes—the blancs, who were the whites that owned land and slaves; the affranchise, who were freedmen of color who were descendants of slaves and slave owners; and the noir, who were the slaves. This system was a way to keep people in their place, limiting opportunities such as jobs and areas of residence (Smucker, 1989). Before the Revolution, the elite whites—or grands blancs—oversaw the governing of Haiti, the importation of slaves, and the exportation of crops to Europe. The affranchise, otherwise known as gens de couleur, were typically craftsmen or domestic servants due to laws prohibiting this group of people from working in public offices. These laws were placed by the grands blancs because of an increase in populati...

    Read More

  • Haitian Revolution Research Paper

    1704 Words  | 4 Pages

    Haiti, previously known as Saint-Domingue, was a slave island and one of the wealthiest of France’s colonies. Up until this point in time, slavery was still common and, as mentioned above, continued throughout the world even after such freedom declarations such as, the Declaration of Independence in the newly formed United States, and the Declaration of Rights of Man in the Republic of France. The Haitian Revolution was brought on by the want for liberation of slaves, and was largely inspired by the French Revolution and the Declaration of Rights of Man. “Even though the early leaders of the French Revolution had no intention of exporting the upheaval, it spread to the colonies, especially to Saint-Domingue” (Ott 1973). This revolution proved to be a major event as it was the most successful slave revolution in history. The slavery population in Haiti, vastly outnumbered the white colonists in Haiti, and therefore, when the slave population banded together, led to a full-scaled rebellion. Revolts would continue to occur until finally in 1793, the slaves got their freedom, with slavery officially being abolished in all French territories in 1794. From this point until 1802, small rebellions continued to occur as not much changed in the daily lives of slaves, despite technically having their freedom. After the French Revolution and with Napoleon taking power in 1799; Napoleon reinstated slavery in all French colonies, including Haiti. Napoleon also sent an army to Haiti to enforce these new slavery laws and Haiti returned to a slave economy in 1802 (Doyle 1943). The Haitian Revolutionaries finally get their win after defeating the French soldiers in the Battle of Vertieres in 1803; the final part of the revolution. The revolution officially ended in 1804, with Haiti gaining its independence from France and permanently abolishing slavery

    Read More

  • Essay On The Haitian Revolution

    1075 Words  | 3 Pages

    The island of Saint-Domingue was made up of a mixture of people including whites from France, creoles, free people of color, and slaves. Once sugar became a major cash crop on the island, an estimated half-million African slaves were brought in to work the land. These slaves outnumbered their white masters more than ten to one and made up the majority of the island inhabitants. Even so, the island had the most secure slave regime in the Caribbean because of the cooperation between masters and free men of color. Due to the difficult policing jobs given to the freed men with little reward, the communication between them and the white masters broke down. Now that the white slaveholders were on their own, it was only a matter of time before their brutal treatment of slaves would lead to an uprising. Once enslaved Africans received word of the revolution in France they too began demanding freedom. After years of civil unrest and vicious fighting, Haiti declared its freedom from France in January of 1804. What makes the Haitian Revolution more radical than the two before it is the fact that it was led by slaves. Throughout the previous revolutions, the main goal was for white men, essentially, to be free from oppressive government rule. There were few thoughts regarding the rights of slaves, even though they too were men. The fact that this group of people were able to remove the colonial authority and establish their own country during this period of time was particularly radical and unheard

    Read More

  • The Slave Revolution In Haiti And The Haitian Revolution

    716 Words  | 2 Pages

    There was about 30,000 free persons of color in 1700s. Half of them were children of white freeman and slave women. The other group was the free persons of color were the slaves that bought or gained their freedom. There was 50,000 black slaves these slaves were also divided into two groups. The domestic slaves had about 100,000 in there group. These slaves worked as cooks, servants, and various artisans around the plantation or in town. The Haitian Revolution was a social and political change in the French colony of Saint-Domingue. Slaves

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The Haitian Revolution And French Revolution

    1077 Words  | 3 Pages

    The late 18th century and early 19th century was a prominent time period in which the French Revolution and Haitian revolution occurred. Both revolutions were connected to each other such that they shared similar causes and consequences. Together, France and Haiti were angered by the inequality and unfair privileges that continued to appear in their societies. At the same time, they were inspired and hopeful of bringing the Enlightenment ideas into reality. Although they were able to accomplish most of what they fought for, such as the abolition of slavery, they still took part in bloody revolutions. However, one of the greatest differences in their outcomes was that France emerged as a new, firm government as Haiti staggered with its new independence.

    Read More

  • The Black Jacobins

    1188 Words  | 3 Pages

    The San Domingo revolution led to the abolition of slavery, independence of Haiti from France and the proclamation of a black republic. However, unlike many historians, CLR James in his work, The Black Jacobins, does not depict the struggle for independence as merely a slave revolt which happened to come after the French Revolution. He goes beyond providing only a recount of historical events and offers an intimate look at those who primarily precipitated the fall of French rule, namely the black slaves themselves. In doing so, James offers a perspective of black history which empowers the black people, for they are shown to actually have done something, and not merely be the subject of actions and attitudes of others.

    Read More

  • Causes of the French Revolution

    530 Words  | 2 Pages

    Causes of the French Revolution     On July 14, 1789, several starving working people of Paris and sixty soldiers seized control of the Bastille, forever changing the course of French history. The seizing of the Bastille wasn’t caused by one event, but several underlying causes such as the Old Regime, the raising of taxes, the American revolution, and the idea and beliefs of the philosophers. The immediate causes of the revolution were the rising price of bread and the locking of the third estate out of its meeting hall. Finally, the spark was the ordering of the Swiss guards to Paris by Louis the XVI. The first underlying cause of the French Revolution was the Old Regime.

    Read More

  • A Brief Summary of the Nicaraguan Revolution

    1926 Words  | 4 Pages

    Throughout history, countless uprisings have occurred. Historians classify any forcible overthrow of a government or social order in favor of a new system as a revolution. The success or failure of a revolution is directly related to the revolution’s causes and courses. The French Revolution was more successful than the Nicaraguan Revolution, because the Nicaraguan Revolution left the country in social and financial ruin, foreign powers had much greater interference, and it precipitated a period of political unrest with multiple leadership changes.

    Read More

More about What Were The Causes Of The Haitian Revolutions

Open Document