The philosophical world began to accept more scientific outlook on the world. The scientific outlook began to explain the world as it exists. These years were known as the years of Enlightenment ideas. The philosophical thinkers known for these enlightenment ideas were: Voltaire, Montesquieu, Rousseau, and Locke, based ideas of equality and popular sovereignty. Their ideas gained fame, and often lead to revolts. These revolts against the sovereignty and questioning their authority began to spread. First America took on the British in the American Revolution. The American Revolution influenced the people of the Latin American Islands. One of these revolutions was an uprising in Haiti leading to the Haitian Revolution.
The American Revolution was a revolt against the taxation that Britain imposed upon the colonist and how the stamp act and the Townsend Act which increase the tax burden on the colonist, and they revolted. Rousseau spoke of direct democracy which sounded like a good idea to the colonist and Voltaire talked of being able to think freely and self-governing. Locke spoke of the rights of citizens and the power of government not ruling and depriving their colonist. Montesquieu spoke of separation of power.
The Haitians, like the colonists of the America wanted to be independent from Britain. The Haitians wanted become independent of France and the white settlers that shared their Island and those of Saint-Domingue who sought to control the colonist. The white settlers of Saint-Domingue sought to govern the colonist and thought of themselves as superior to their native counterparts who were freed slaves. The Haitian Revolution went down in history as the only successful slave rebellions. The freed slave leader was Toussaint Louverture. Louverture was smart enough to have the Spanish, French, and British, forces fight each other and while they were fighting the freed slaves gained power. Enlightenment ideas were