Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian Revolution

Importance of the Topic

Discussed during Black History Month, highlighting the significance of the Haitian Revolution.
Haitian Revolution (1791-1804) is cited as the only successful revolution by enslaved people.
Led to the establishment of Haiti in 1804, the world's first independent black post-colonial state.
Louverture is used as a vehicle to discuss the broader revolution.

Took place in the French colony of Saint-Domingue (now Haiti) in the Caribbean, France's richest colony.
Produced wealth through sugar, coffee, cotton, indigo, and other products, all produced by enslaved population.
1789: 500,000 enslaved people vs. 30,000 white settlers.
French Revolution in 1789 inspired enslaved people to demand Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity.
1791: Slave Insurrection begins at the ceremony in Guacamo, demanding rights equal to French citizens.
1793: Slaves in Saint-Domingue gain freedom.
1794: French National Assembly in Paris abolishes slavery, largely due to the influence of the Haitian Revolution.

Appeared on the scene in 1791, initially not well-known.
Born in early 1740s, possibly in 1740 or 1741, not an exact date since enslaved people didn’t have birth certificates.
Parents were enslaved, captured from the Kingdom of Allada (modern-day Benin). Toussaint was born in Saint-Domingue.
Showed prodigious talents as a horse rider, herbal medicine practitioner, and assistant plantation manager by the 1770s.
Freed around the 1770s; by 1791, a mature, sober, and responsible person.
Quickly rose in ranks within the Haitian Revolution, became a General in the French Republican Army.

Flamboyant and charismatic, prodigious memory, ate and slept very little, was always on the move.
Massive support from both freed slaves and white settlers; seen as a savior by many.
Known for his tactical and strategic prowess, often bewildering his adversaries.

Portraits and images during his time were often negative and stereotypical.
Modern representation by Haitian artist Francois Covan portrays him as a French General, symbolized by a guinea fowl on his head – a symbol of freedom for enslaved people in Saint-Domingue.

Late 1790s: Toussaint defeats foreign forces (British and Spaniards) and secures French Republican support.
1801: Promulgates a new constitution, making himself governor for life, abolishing slavery forever, establishing autonomy within the French Colonial Empire.
1802: Napoleon Bonaparte sends an expedition to re-establish slavery; Louverture is captured and sent to France, dies in 1803.
1803: Battle of Vertières leads to the ultimate defeat of French forces and the establishment of Haitian Independence in 1804.

Numerical advantage of the enslaved population over white settlers.
Ideological diversity incorporating Enlightenment, Caribbean, and African revolutionary ideas.
Pre-existing military training among some enslaved individuals and formidable local organizational structures.
Involvement of women in combat roles.
Strong, charismatic leadership in Louverture.

Slavery: The primary driver of the revolution; Louverture’s focus on preventing re-enslavement and maintaining abolition.
Race: Addressing racial hierarchy; Louverture's vision of a fraternal, united society post-slavery, with civil and political equality for all.
Republicanism: Combining elements from the French Revolution and local traditions (African, Caribbean, and Voodoo spirituality) for a unique Creole republicanism.

Post-independence: Continues to inspire anti-slavery and anti-colonial movements globally.
Figures like Simon Bolivar and Frederick Douglass admired and were inspired by Louverture.
Contemporary movements like Black Lives Matter still draw inspiration from Louverture’s ideals.
Discussion about reparations and the crime of Haiti's debt to France (estimated at €30 billion in today's money).
Statues, coins, and memorials in Haiti, Benin, France, and more, celebrating Louverture as a hero.

Concept of Brotherhood (fraternity) uniting all ethnic and racial groups in post-slavery Haitian society.
Advocates for civil and political equality without necessarily economic equality.

Emphasizes the deep, unbreakable roots of black liberty: “By striking me, you have cut the tree of black liberty, but it will spring back from its roots, for they are many and deep.”