What Role Did Race Play In The American Revolution

David Bloch

12-6-15

World History

Essay

The Role of Race in the Haitian Revolution (1791-1804)

Just when the American Constitution was going into effect in 1789, a revolution broke out in France. Just like the Americans, the French also proclaimed that men are born and remain free and have equal rights. But did this apply to the slaves in France’s overseas colonies? Mainly I will discuss the role played by race in the Haitian Revolution in this paper. France did not possess many colonies in the New World. The three Caribbean colonies of Saint Domingue (today’s republic of Haiti), Guadeloupe, and Martinique contained almost as many slaves as the thirteen original American colonies. Race was a key factor in the decision of France to abolish slavery in all of

its colonies before any of the other European countries. In Haiti, the black slaves heavily outnumbered both the whites and the free colored people. By the year 1789, there were 465,000 slaves in Haiti. About half of these slaves had been born in Africa. They brought some traditions and beliefs with them, but they had to adapt to a very different environment in the Caribbean.

The newly arrived slaves had to learn Creole (a dialect of the French Language). The slave owners in the French colonies participated actively in the French Revolution. They demanded liberty for themselves, above all, while at the same time, they owned slaves. This put the supporters of the French Revolution in an uncomfortable situation. The freed slaves, many of whom, who had been educated in France, were supporters of the French Revolution as well. They were very frustrated when plantation owners would not grant them equal rights along with the whites. On the night of the 21-22nd of August, 1791, a coordinated slave revolt broke out in the northern part of the island. Black slaves killed their masters and set fire to plantation buildings. Although the revolts did great damage, the whites kept control on the colonies major cities. They felt that the troops would eventually arrive from france and help them contain the revolt. The black abolitionists were negotiating freedom for themselves and their families, and for a system in which slaves would work three days a week for themselves, and three days a week

for their masters. The whites, however, refused to make any concessions. The agreement soon fell apart.
By this time, a new ruler had taken over France, Napoleon Bonaparte. By the fall of 1802 it had become clear that the French, under the guidance of Napoleon Bonaparte and his generals, specifically in the case of Haiti, General Toussaint, were going to fight til the end for France to continue to control the French colonies and for some form of slavery to continue in the colonies. The fighting in 1802-1803 was extremely brutal and gory. The French troops did horrible things to others (murdered many people) in their attempt to bring the island under control and restore slavery. In response to this, the blacks killed many of the whites who had remained in Haiti. At the end of December 1803, General Dessalines, proclaimed the independence of the former colony, giving it a new name which is known as, Haiti. Despite Haiti’s small size, the Haitian Revolution of 1791-1804, was a major event in World History. It posed a question of what it would mean if people of color insisted that the promises of freedom, made by the American and French Revolution also applied to them. The Haitian Revolution was the first of this type of movement in the Third World.