Essay On The Haitian Revolution
The Haitian revolution shook the foundation of the institution of slavery and racial hierarchy. Liberty, Equality, and the freedom from slavery were the driving forces behind the Haitian Revolution. Historians like David Geggus argued the American, French, and Haitian Revolutions were fighting for the same reasons but “unlike the American Revolution of 1776 and the French Revolution of 1789, the Haitian insurrection directly challenged the system of racial hierarchy”. Slaves in the French colony of Saint Domingo knew liberty and equality could not coexist with the institution of slavery. The slaves of Saint Domingo demanded their freedom from the French by any means necessary. Their goal was to be self-governed and not under the control
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The slaves in Saint Domingo knew attacking the colony’s sugar production economy would hinder the French just as much as a military attack. On the night of August 16, 1791, an army of slaves burned down a sugar plantation in Saint Domingo, a white colonist had suspicions about the plantation fire and began to interrogate his slaves about the incident. He learned to his surprise that “the most trusted slaves on the neighboring plantation and those in the adjacent districts had formed a plot to set fire to the plantation and to murder all the whites”. He reported his findings to the authorities of Cap Francais but they ignored his allegations. Not even a week later, on August 22, 1791, there was a second attack on one of the richest sugar plantations in the colony of Saint Domingo. The mob of slaves burned down the plantation and killed the owners and overseers of the plantation, this revolt was the start to the birth of the Republic of Haiti.
The Haitian Revolution greatly influenced future revolts and revolutionary situations, Frederick Douglas whom was inspired by the revolution referred to Haiti as the “original pioneer emancipator of the nineteenth century”. The influence of the Haitian Revolution catalyzed African-diaspora revolts, “when [Haiti] struck for freedom…they struck for the freedom of every black man in the world”.
The slaves in Saint Domingo knew attacking the colony’s sugar production economy would hinder the French just as much as a military attack. On the night of August 16, 1791, an army of slaves burned down a sugar plantation in Saint Domingo, a white colonist had suspicions about the plantation fire and began to interrogate his slaves about the incident. He learned to his surprise that “the most trusted slaves on the neighboring plantation and those in the adjacent districts had formed a plot to set fire to the plantation and to murder all the whites”. He reported his findings to the authorities of Cap Francais but they ignored his allegations. Not even a week later, on August 22, 1791, there was a second attack on one of the richest sugar plantations in the colony of Saint Domingo. The mob of slaves burned down the plantation and killed the owners and overseers of the plantation, this revolt was the start to the birth of the Republic of Haiti.
The Haitian Revolution greatly influenced future revolts and revolutionary situations, Frederick Douglas whom was inspired by the revolution referred to Haiti as the “original pioneer emancipator of the nineteenth century”. The influence of the Haitian Revolution catalyzed African-diaspora revolts, “when [Haiti] struck for freedom…they struck for the freedom of every black man in the world”.