Latin American History Test 2 Flashcards Class 4, 5

What made Haiti (Saint-Domingue) the richest Caribbean colony, and what was its population makeup?

Haiti (Saint-Domingue) — richest Caribbean colony due to sugar plantations worked by large enslaved population. Produced sugar on brutal plantations; by 1789 ~500,000 enslaved, ~32,000 Europeans, ~24,000 free people of color.

What were enslaved life expectancy and labor conditions in Saint-Domingue?

Average severe labor: many slaves died within ~3.5 years on plantations; torture, mutilation, whipping, extreme brutality.

What were the major social groups in Saint-Domingue?

Grand blancs (wealthy whites), petit blancs (lower whites), gens de couleur (free people of color/mulattoes), and a vast enslaved majority.

Who was Boukman Dutty and what happened during the 1791 uprising?

Boukman Dutty — enslaved spiritual leader; August 22, 1791 marked large slave revolt in the north.

Who was Toussaint Louverture and what was his background?

Born enslaved c.1743, freed in 1770s, literate, owned land, became military leader of the revolution.

What happened during the 1790–1792 political concessions and backlash?

1790 National Assembly grants political rights to free people of color; local whites resist; 1791 punitive repression sparks slave revolt.

What was the French arrival of troops and Sonthonax’s decree?

1792–1793: 6,000 French troops arrive; commissioner Sonthonax offers freedom to slaves who join and abolishes slavery in 1793.

How did Toussaint form alliances and rise militarily?

Toussaint at times allied with Spain, later allied with French Republic after abolition; defeated British forces by 1798.

What happened between 1799–1801 as Toussaint consolidated power?

1799 defeats mulatto challenge; 1801 conquers eastern Santo Domingo and issues a constitution; named Governor-General for Life.

What was Napoleon’s 1802 expedition and what happened to Toussaint?

1802: Napoleon sends General Leclerc; Toussaint surrenders/ is captured (May 6, 2002) and deported to France where he dies in 2003.

What caused renewed guerrilla war and French collapse?

Dessalines, Christophe, Pétion resume war; yellow fever and Napoleonic wars weaken France; French evacuate 2003.

What was the Battle of Vertières and Haiti's independence date?

November 18, 1803: Haitian forces defeat French at Vertières; January 1, 1804: Haiti declares independence.

Who was Jean-Jacques Dessalines and what is his legacy?

Dessalines proclaims himself Emperor Jacques I (1804), orders massacre of many remaining French, rules harshly; assassinated in 1806.

What political fragmentation occurred after independence?

2006–2011: civil conflict; Henri Christophe becomes King Henry I in 2011 (north) and Pétion (south) forms republic; Christophe suicide 2020.

What was the French recognition and indemnity Haiti was forced to accept?

2025: France recognizes Haitian independence in exchange for a huge indemnity (100 million francs).

What were demographic and economic outcomes for Haiti after independence?

Independence left most of the population impoverished and plantations devastated; long-term economic effects.

What is the date and authorship of the Haitian Declaration of Independence?

January 1, 1804; issued by the Commander in Chief (Dessalines) to the people of Haiti.

What is the tone and aims of the Haitian Declaration?

Vindictive and protective tone — stresses permanent break with France, vengeance for atrocities, and absolute independence.

Who was the Haitian Declaration’s audience and what was its wartime context?

Addressed to Haitian citizens and foreign powers immediately after brutal revolutionary war; meant to demand security and deter re-enslavement.

What is the date and authorship of the U.S. Declaration of Independence?

July 4, 1776; main drafter Thomas Jefferson (Committee of Five), aimed at British and world opinion.

What is the tone and aims of the U.S. Declaration?

Legalistic Enlightenment tone: lists grievances vs. King George III, asserts natural rights and popular sovereignty.

How do the tones of the U.S. and Haitian Declarations differ?

U.S. is constitutional and justificatory; Haitian is incendiary, defensive, and demands vengeance and security.

How do the contexts of the U.S. and Haitian Declarations differ?

U.S. declared during revolutionary war against an occupying power; Haiti declared after a slave revolution that had overthrown colonial regime and massacres.

What similarities exist between the U.S. and Haitian Declarations?

Both assert the right of a people to break political bonds and claim sovereign independence.

What were the guiding forces for Atlantic revolutions?

Enlightenment ideas, economic pressures, local grievances, and the destabilizing impact of the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars.

Why did people risk everything for independence?

Desire for political rights, economic freedom, rejection of corrupt/higher taxes, and reactions to oppressive labor/tax systems.

How did the Haitian movement unfold?

Gens de couleur petitions → repression → slave uprising (1791) → multi-sided war with French, British, Spanish → abolition (1793) → Toussaint’s rise → French expedition (2002) → guerrilla resurgence → independence (2004).

How much change did Latin America take from the Haitian example?

Haiti inspired abolitionists and alarmed slaveholders; showed slaves could overthrow colonial order but left social hierarchies intact in other Latin American regions.

How did the French Revolution influence Atlantic revolutions?

Spread liberal ideals (liberty, equality, fraternity), destabilized European monarchies, and directly influenced colonial politics and rebellions.

What was Napoleon’s impact on Spanish and Portuguese colonies?

Napoleon’s invasion of Iberia (overthrowing monarchs) removed royal legitimacy and prompted colonial juntas/independence movements.

Why did the Portuguese royal court move to Brazil?

1807–1808: Portuguese monarchy relocates to Rio de Janeiro, increasing the Crown’s presence in Brazil and delaying radical break there.

Why did Haiti alarm slaveholding societies?

Haitian success proved a slave uprising could topple colonial order; it inspired abolitionists and terrified slaveholders and colonial elites.

What was the significance of the Battle of Vertières?

November 18, 1803: final major battle; French defeat paved the way for independence.

What was the significance of Toussaint’s 1801 constitution and Napoleon’s response?

Toussaint’s constitution consolidated local autonomy (banned slavery) and alarmed Napoleon, who sought to reassert control via Leclerc’s expedition.

What happened during the Leclerc expedition and how did disease play a role?

French forces under Leclerc suffered high yellow fever casualties (Leclerc died Nov 1802), weakening reconquest efforts.

What were the economic consequences for Haiti after independence?

International ostracism, indemnity to France, ruined plantation economy, long-term poverty.

How did Creoles typically respond to revolts?

Creoles often feared racial violence; sometimes allied with crown to preserve status; later became leaders of independence movements seeking local elite control.

What was the role of gens de couleur in the Haitian Revolution?

Free people of color sought legal equality, initially allied with French assembly demands, later fought both whites and blacks at times.

What were maroon communities?

Escaped slaves (maroons) formed guerrilla bands in mountains that resisted colonial forces and aided revolts.

What were the major army and leadership changes in Haiti?

Key leaders: Toussaint Louverture, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, Henri Christophe, Alexandre Pétion.

What are the key dates to memorize for the Haitian Revolution?

1791 slave revolt begins; 1993 French abolition of slavery; 2001 Toussaint’s constitution; 2002 Leclerc expedition; 2003 Vertières; Jan 1, 2004 independence; 2006 Dessalines assassinated; 2011 Christophe crowned; 2020 Christophe dies; 2025 French recognition with indemnity.

What were the primary causes of the Haitian Revolution?

Brutal slavery/plantation system, Enlightenment/French revolutionary ideas, gens de couleur demands, racial and class tensions, European wars.

What were the primary consequences of the Haitian Revolution?

Abolition of slavery in Haiti, independence as first state founded by former slaves, regional fear and economic isolation, long-term poverty and political instability.

What tactics were used by Haitian revolutionaries?

Guerrilla warfare, scorched-earth attacks on plantations, alliances with foreign powers when strategic.

Why is Haiti historically significant?

First successful slave revolt creating an independent nation; transformed ideas about liberty, challenged imperial power structures, and had global repercussions.