Walker 1

The Haitian Revolution, 1791-1804 was a milestone in the history of the Americas. It was the

creation of the second independent country for that region. Many fought for freedom from their

slavery status. In the words of Toussaint Louverture, a leader in the Haitian Revolution,

President of Haiti 1801-1802, I was born a slave, but nature gave me a soul of a free man.
 Walker 2

Deborah Walker

Dr. Alec Thomson

HIS 151-38

29 October 2017

Haitian Revolution

The Haitian Revolution took place from 1791 to 1804 (Sutherland). From the battle against

the French colonial domination and slavery came a major territorial change. The Independence

Empire of Haiti was formed and the first country to be named by a people of mostly former

slaves. Slavery and French control ended. According to the Journal of Pan African Studies this

revolution had not previously been given its rightful attention in U.S. history. Scholars, writers,

and supports of changing this trend consider that the Haitian Revolution should take its rightful

place among all the other battles fought in the name of liberty, justice, and human rights

(Celucien). Celucien L. Joseph, Ph.D. in his article, The Haitian Turn, refers to this change as

an intellectual shift (Celucien). I agree, after reading about the Haitian Revolution it has many

of the positive ingredients that our American Revolution has.

Haiti during this time period was called Saint Dominique (Sutherland). The situation was

such that this land had valuable crops to export, such as, sugar, coffee, indigo, and cotton. This

land also had over a half a million slaves for labor. The slaves endured a brutal existence, long

workdays, injuries, infections, and malnutrition among the many problems. Independence

gained popularity among the white population when France tacked on high tariffs on the

products coming into Saint Dominique (Sutherland). Some inspiration came from the writings of
 Walker 3

a major general of the American Revolutionary War, Frenchman, Marquis de Lafayette

(Sutherland). His book was titled Declaration of the Rights of Man. The book discuses human

rights, universal citizenship, and participation in government (Sutherland). The Revolution came

to a close when Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Henry Christopher backed by a black army defeated

the French in 1802 (Editor Encyclopedia Britannica). This battle was incited by hearing that

Napoleon wanted Saint Dominique to have slavery (Editor Encyclopedia Britannica). The

Haitian revolution may also have had a strong influence on the American south and American

Civil War, and the social climate of the greater Caribbean area as Dr. Joseph describes. Haitis

Revolution has a significant place in history for standing up for and securing some of the basic

human rights for all people.

 Walker 4

Works Cited

Ceptus, Barbara. Ph.D. (Re)membering revolution, imagining blackness: the Haitian revolution

in the Black cultural imaginary. Journal of Pan African Studies. 5.1 (Mar. 2012): p289. Web 4

June 2017.

Editor of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Haitian Revolution. Britannica Encyclopaedia. 2017. 4

June 2017.

Joseph, Celucien. Ph.D. The Haitian Turn: An Appraisal of Recent Literary and

Historiographical Works on the Haitian Revolution. The Journal of Pan African Studies, vol.5,

no.6, September 2012. Web 4 June 2017.

Sutherland, Claudia E. Haitian Revolution (1791-1804). BlackPast.org. 2017. Web. 4 June

2017.