HAITIAN REVOLUTION - HIST123

What colony was Saint-Domingue and why important?

French Caribbean colony; richest in world due to sugar and coffee exports.

What was the demographic breakdown?

Whites (30k), free people of colour (28k), enslaved Africans (450k)

What role did Vodou play? 

Provided spiritual unity and communication for the 1791 uprising.

Who was Vincent Ogé? 

Free man of colour who led 1790 revolt for equal rights; executed

What sparked the 1791 uprising?

Vodou ceremony at Bois Caïman; enslaved launched revolt in northern plantations.

Why did France abolish slavery in 1794?

To secure loyalty of enslaved during wars with Britain and Spain.

Who was Toussaint Louverture? 

Former slave turned general; defeated European armies; Governor-for-Life in 1801.

What did Louverture’s 1801 Constitution do?

abolished slavery permanently, made him governor for life, and nominal French link only

What was Napoleon’s policy toward Haiti?

Tried to reimpose slavery and colonial rule (1802 expedition).

What happened to Toussaint in 1803? 

Captured by French, died in prison in France

Who declared independence in 1804?

Jean-Jacques Dessalines, renamed colony ‘Haiti.’

What was the Battle of Vertières 1803?

Final defeat of French troops, securing Haitian independence

Why did Dessalines order massacres of whites? 

To prevent the return of slavery and reassert Black sovereignty

How did the Haitian Revolution affect Napoleon’s empire?

Abandoned American ambitions: Louisiana Purchase 1803

What was Haiti’s international status after 1804?

Isolated, seen as threat to slave societies; faced reparations and exclusion

Why is the Haitian Revolution called the ‘unthinkable revolution?’

Trouillot: Western historians ignored it because a successful slave revolt challenged racist assumptions.

When was the Haitian Revolution?

1791-1804