Saturday, April 11, 2020

Was the Haitian Revolution really a revolution?

Steelers-Browns game?
With everything shut down, I have been catching up on my reading.  My book journey took me to Haiti the other day, which was a little surprising since I usually don't sail into the Caribbean.  Nonetheless, I splashed ashore and looked around.

The primary force behind the Revolution was the horrible working conditions that African slaves had to labor in.  Who can you not expect a revolt in the cane fields.  I am surprised it did not happen sooner.  Also, there were a lot of class tensions between poor whites and the white aristocracy. When the revolt happened, it blew up rather quickly.

Another factor to the revolution was the French Revolution.  Since Haiti was a colony of France, anything happening in Paris would eventually make its way to Port-au-Prince.  Thus, the Revolution swept France in 1789 and landed in Haiti in 1791. 

In 1794, the National Convention in France outlawed slavery throughout French possessions.  That would include Haiti.  So, the slave revolt sweeping Haiti is not longer a revolt since slavery is outlawed, therefore the "rebels" are just enforcing the law.

Later Napoleon would try to overrun the island and tried reimpose slavery.  He was also trying to secure communication lanes with newly reacquired Louisiana.  General LeClerc overran the island but could not hold on to it and the French eventually left.

Haiti was free though saddled with debt they agreed to pay France for losses in the Revolution.

In the end, the Haitian rebels were legally in the right, so was it a revolution at all?

Bring that up and see where the argument goes!

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