Final Project: Lesson Plan
Topic: The Impact of the Haitian Revolution on
the Caribbean and Latin America.
Prepared by: Nefraige Azémar
August 2, 2009
LESSON PLAN
TOPIC
: IMPACT OF THE HAITIAN REVOLUTION ON THE CARIBBEAN AND LATIN AMERICA
MAIN IDEA:
The Haitian Revolution provoked an incontestable impact on Caribbean Latin America.
From the political point of view, it lit the inferno of revolts in many countries of the Caribbean and Latin
America and inspired books and reflections from different authors. This lesson will analyze the
characteristics of the Haitian Revolution and its influence on the Caribbean and Latin America’s politics
and literature.
INTENDED GRADE LEVEL: This lesson is a social studies course intended for secondary school
3rd level. It is a six-hour course that will be executed in three days.
INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES:
1- The students will be able to develop critical thinking skills including analysis and synthesis through
reading texts and handout materials.
2- Students will be able to produce a 40 line summary about the influence of the Haitian Revolution
on the Caribbean and Latin American countries.
3- The students will learn geography skills by placing country names of the Caribbean and Latin America
on a blank map.
LEARNING ACTIVITIES SEQUENCE
SET INDUCTION : A poster showing a special image is presented to students .
What is painted on this picture? … This is a battle of black men fighting against the slavery system.
What is a Revolution? Why do people engage in Revolutions?
ACTIVITIES
ACTIVITY 1
THINK – PAIR - SHARE
The teacher proposes a list of 15 concepts related to the subject that they will use during the lesson. He
asks them to form pairs : each group seeks in a dictionary the definition of one concept. Next , one
person designated by the group will explain the concept using his own words. At the end , the teacher
verifies the definitions.
List of the concepts
Revolt - Revolution - slavery - slave trade - colony - metropolis - liberty - atrocity – rebellion
Slave owner - ( about-turn) - colonialism - human rights - dignity - exploitation.
ACTIVITY 2 : LECTURE
The teacher distributes copies of handout entitled SITUATION IN 1789 : he carefully reads the text
and asks students to answer the questions.
TEXT
SITUATION IN 1789
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Questions
1-What region of Saint-Domingue was the most productive?
2- Approximately how many white colonials and mulattoes lived in the colony?
3-Approximately how many slaves lived in Saint-Domingue?
4-Do you know why Saint-Domingue was the most profitable of the French colonies?
5- Do you think that the slaves were right to revolt?
6-According to the text, why did the slave population decline at a fast pace?
7-Do you think that the all the slaves had the same condition of life in the colony? If no, find in the text a
sentence that can explain your answer.
ACTIVITY 3
Reading for summary
The students form three (3) groups; each group reads two short texts. After reading, one person per
group presents a summary to his classmates.
TEXTS
Haitian Revolution
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Impact of French revolution
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1791 Slave rebellion
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Leadership of Toussaint
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Resistance to slavery
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Free Republic
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ACTIVITY 4 : DRAMA
The teacher asks students to read silently a drama related to a dialogue between Laveaux and
Toussaint Louverture. After reading, two volunteers will play the role of the two protagonists. Next,
inspired by this model, each student produces his/her own drama.
Explication
Laveaux , General of the French Army in Saint-Domingue , is very anxious because he has
trouble with Spainish and British troops who attack him from everywhere . He comes to Toussaint
Louverture, a native black General who has just abandoned the Spanish camp and is waiting for a good
opportunity to demonstrate his power.
LAVEAUX-
While you’re walking carefree on your district Ennery, you don’t care about France
being seriously in danger. British warships shell our vessels and Spanish soldiers are
waiting to crush us. Toussaint, the French republic needs your help.
TOUSSAINT-
Forgive me, lord. How can I be useful to a slaver French General? I was born a slave but
you are a lord enlisted by the French Metropolis for accomplishing its wishes of conquest
and exploitation.
Laveaux--
I’m a soldier of the Monarchy but I choose the Republic.
TOUSSAINT-
You’re lying to me. Shut up! In my camp it’s I who give orders. You are a potential
enemy of black freedom as you are in danger, you heap praise upon me.
LAVEAUX-
Toussaint, I need your support: my horses are exhausted. I have no gun, no cannon, no
powder. I’ m lost.
TOUSSAINT-
Now you accept that you need me? But what is the difference between the monarchist
whip and the republican whip? How could I leave the Spanish flag for the three colored
flag?
LAVEAUX –
Sonthonax, the Second commission’s president has just abolished slavery on August 29
1793. What do you think about that? Be sure that soon the Freedom French flag will
spread out everywhere in the colonies. I beseech you: choose “la Republique.”
TOUSSAINT-
Laveaux, you speak to me and I shouldn’t have listened to you. I decide to help you not
for pleasing you. I want to write and leave to my sons and my black brothers a fantastic
page of History. Laveaux, we are going to clear the road for them. (Inspired by the
TOUSSAINT LOUVERTURE, theater of Guadeloupe and Ballet of Senegal)
ACTIVITY 5: READING FOR INTERPRETATION OF DIAGRAM
The teacher gives the students two texts entitled “Afro-Caribbean reaction to the Haitian
Independence” and “Impact of Haitian Revolution on Latin America”. He asks the
students to read these texts carefully in order to write an explanation of related a diagram.
TEXTS
Afro- Caribbean reaction to the Haitian Independence
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IMPACT OF THE HAITIAN REVOLUTION ON LATIN AMERICA
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ACTIVITY 6: VIDEO – MOVIE
The teacher plays a 20-minute extract video-movie of Bolivar’s battle against the Spanish
army: at the end, students individually present their comments.
X
ACTIVITY 7 : LISTENING
The teacher plays an ironic song of Michel Sardou “Le temps beni des colonies” (The
blessed times of the colonies: a French version that he explains to them in English). After
listening, they summarize the text in ten (10) lines.
SUMMARY
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ACTIVITY 8 : READING FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION
The Haitian Revolution also exerted a large influence on literature: the teacher distributes to
the students a special text related to this influence of the Haitian revolution on literature
and asks them to form three groups in order to identify the book titles mentioned in the text
and to make a list of them.
After reading the titles of the different books written on this great event, a representative of
each group will give a summary of the content of at least four books.
CLOSURE
The teacher asks the students the following questions:
What did you learn from this lesson?
Were the Haitians right when they carried out the revolution?
Did the Haitian Revolution bring democracy in Haiti?
Is freedom not the first and most important step towards democracy?
What do you think about the generosity of Dessalines towards Miranda and that of
Pétion towards Bolivar? Couldn’t it teach us that human nations have to cooperate no
matter if they are black or white , rich or poor , one-race or diverse ?
(Distributing paper to students) In a few words, share your suggestions with me.
EVALUATION
1-Each student produces a summary of the Haitian Revolution and explains its influence on the
Caribbean and Latin American countries (40 lines)
2- The students give their points of view about political and literary impacts of the Haitian
Revolution on the Caribbean and Latin America. (15 lines)
3- The students receive a list of the Caribbean and Latin American countries and a blank map.
They take turns indicating the location of the countries on the map.
SOURCES
1- Democracy After Slavery
Chapter : What king of free this ?
Mimi Sheller
Pages : 77-80
2000
United Kingdom
Caribbean Studies Series
London
2- The Haitian Revolution 1794-1804
Teward T.G. ( 1914 . United State of America, Russel And Russel
4-The Haitian Revolution and the forging of America Vol 34, No.1
Jim Thomson. ( Nov 2000 ) Special Feature National History Day 2000 Prize Essays
5- Picture of Capois Lamort : http : // the louvertureproject.org/index.php?title=Vert%C3
A8res
6- Picture of Jean Jacques Dessalines
7- Picture of Alexandre petion http//en. Wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandre-P%C3%A9tion
8- Picture : Battlle of Vertieres http://the louvertureproject.org/index.php?title=Image:
Battle –of-vertires.jpg&printable=yes
9- Image of slaves working http://lexitproject.blogspot.com/2008/05 Selling.slave.htm 1
10- Haitian Flag Wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag oh Haiti
11- Image of Toussaint Louverture www.historywiz.com/Toussaint htm (Google)
13- Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean http//lanic.utexas.edu/subject/countries/
14- Image of Simon Bolivar http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon Bolivar
15- Image of the American Flag people.eku.edu/Pedersonn/Mongolia.Fire (Google)
16- Image of “ Cinq gourdes haitiennes” http://the louvertureproject. Org/index.php?
Title=Vert%C3%A8res
17- Video-movie of Bolivar’s battle against Spanish army
ww.carpenoctem.tv/militarybolivar.html
18- video of Michel Sardou “ Le temps béni des colonies “
http://www.youtube com/watch ? v=2p-lkrvuj2w
19- Diagram : Nefraige Azémar .
20- Picture of Henry Christophe king of Haiti ( See The Haitian Revolution )
MATERIALS
Video, retro projector, maps, paper, photocopies, extracts of books, DVD, poster
LE TEMPS BENI DES COLONIES
Moi monsieur j’ai fait la colo
Dakar Conakry Bamako
Moi monsieur j’ai eu la belle vie
Au temps béni des colonies
Les guerriers m’appelaient grand chef
Au temps glorieux de l’A. O. F.
J’avais des ficelles au képi
Au temps béni des colonies
On pense encore à toi oh Bwana
Dis-nous ce que t’as pas on en a
Y’a pas d’café, pas de coton , pas d’essence
En France mais des idées ça on en a
Nous on pense
On pense encore à toi oh Bwana
Dis-nous ce que t’as pas on en a
Pour moi monsieur rien n’égalait
Les tirailleurs sénégalais
Qui mouraient tous pour la patrie
Au temps béni des colonies
Autrefois à Colomb-Béchar
J’avais plein de serviteurs noirs
Et quatre filles dans mon lit
Au temps béni des colonies
Moi monsieur j’ai tué des panthères
A Tombouctou sur le Niger
Et des hippos dans l’Ougambi
Au temps béni des colonies
Entre le gin et le tennis
Les réceptions et le pastis
On se s’rait cru au paradis
Au temps béni des colonies
MICHEL SARDOU