Haitian Revolution

Haitian RevolutionHaitian RevolutionTimelineTimeline

Egalité for AllLibertyEqualityFraternity http://www.youtube.com/

watch?v=b69lS3aP1a4&feature=related

1400sOver a million

Taino/Arawak people lived on the island of “Hayti”

HispaniolaHispaniola1492 Columbus landed on

the island and named it “La Española” or “HispaniolaHispaniola”

1517 Due to Spanish conquest

and enslavement, the Taino/Arawak population was reduced to 60,000 people

1577 Spain ordered that 15,000 Negro slaves be shipped from Africa to Hispaniola.

BartolomBartolomé de las é de las Casas arguedCasas argued that this that this would relieve the would relieve the stresses which were stresses which were killing the native killing the native peoples in the peoples in the Americas.Americas.

By 1592, fewer than 200 Taino/Arawak people remained on Hispaniola

1600s1644 Sugar cane was

introduced to the island marking the beginning of a “great economic revolution” (Korngold, 1944)

Haiti became the wealthiest, most resource-rich, most valuable colony of its age.

1697 France gained

control of one-third of Hispaniola, and named it Saint Saint DomingueDomingue

Trade began between Saint Domingue and the 13 British Colonies (the future U.S.)

“The Pearl of Antilles” 1789 - "Saint

Domingue had attained a height of prosperity not surpassed in the history of European colonies. It supplied half of Europe with sugar, coffee and cotton." (Korngold, 1944)

1700s1790 (one year after the

French Revoution) A Saint-Domingue mulatto

delegation traveled to the French Assembly to request French rights for mulattos but were refused.

Oct - Dec Vincent Ogé led a failed

revolt and was later executed.

1791May French Assembly gave

full political rights to mulattos and free blacks.

September White planters in Saint

Domingue objected to granting citizenship to free blacks --> Violence erupted!

1791August 22, 1791 Boukman and Cecile

Fatiman led a vodou vodou ceremony. ceremony.

This ceremony ignited a slave revolt, known as the Boukman Rebellion which sparked the Haitian Revolution

(see Boukman’s prayer)http://thelouvertureproject.org/

index.php?title=Boukman

Haitian Revolution: 1791 - 1803 Toussaint L’ouverture

emerged as the leader of the Haitian Revolution

A former slave, he became a brilliant general and capable administrator, defeating British, Spanish, and French troops, emancipating the slave population, and overseeing the country's initial attempts at reforming its political and social structure.

1801 After years of battle After years of battle

and intense and intense negotiations with negotiations with Spain, France, and Spain, France, and the U.S.,the U.S., Louverture conquered all of Hispaniola and abolished slavery

July 8th, 1801, Louverture signed the Haitian Constitution

1802 French emperor, Napoleón Bonaparte, sent his brother-in-law, Victor Leclerc to Saint Domingue to re-establish slavery

Louverture wrote a letter to Commander-in-Chief Jean-Jacques Dessalines asking him to burn down Port-au-Prince and stop the advance of Leclerc's troops sent to reestablish slavery --> The revolution’s fiercest battle ensued!

1802-1805April 1802 Louverture and

Dessalines agreed to a truce with Leclerc

Louverture was deceived and imprisoned (He died on April 7,1803,)

November 18, 1803 Dessalines’ army defeated

FranceNovember 28, 1803 Proclamation of

IndependenceJanuary 1, 1804 Saint-Domingue became the

Republic of Hayti (the name of the Island under Taino rule)

May 20, 1805 Dessalines signed the Haitian

Constitution of 1805