Haiti under French Rule
Haiti before and during the Haitian Revolution
Haiti’s origins
• Known as Saint Domingue
• The whole island, known as
Hispaniola, was settled by the Spanish
in the late 1400s.
• The French convinced pirates to settle
there and start sugar plantations as a
way of making money
Plantations
• The sugar plantations made Haiti the most
profitable and valuable colony!
• It produced 40% of Europe’s sugar and 60%
of Europe’s coffee
• Had the second highest concentration of
slaves
• African slaves made up about 90% of Haiti’s
population in the early 1800s.
Social System
White Planters – owned plantations and slaves
Wealthy free people of color – 24,800 in the late 1700s. Served in
the militia, owned plantations
Poor Whites – artisans, laborers
Slaves
Change in France
• King Louis XVI
(who you remember
had his head
chopped off)
abolished slavery
Independence from France?
• White planters want independence from France so they
can create a democracy and govern Saint Domingue
• May 1791, National Assembly gives French citizenship to
all free men of color in Haiti
• August 1791 – slave revolt breaks out in Saint Domingue
Toussaint Louverture
• One of the leaders of the slave revolt.
• France was now fighting the Spanish,
English, and slaves in Haiti…
• Feb 4 1794 – France frees the slaves
• Freedom and French citizenship for
every slave in Haiti…until Napoleon
Napoleon reinstates slavery
• To fund his wars, Napoleon looks to the profitable
and valuable Saint Domingue for money
• Best way to make a profit? Had slaves work on
plantations.
• Napoleon reinstates slavery.
• Toussaint Louverture arrested and sent to France,
dies in prison
Napoleon gives up
• The Haitians destroyed the French troops stationed
on the island, so Napoleon calls the surviving
troops back
• Saint Domingue declared independent, renamed to
Haiti
Why is Haiti important?
1. Second free country in the Americas (after the United States)
2. One of the most successful slave revolts EVER.
3. First modern nation to be governed by people of African
descent
4. Destroyed Napoleon’s attempts at building a global empire
Crash Course Video
https://www.khanacademy.org/partner-content/crash-course1/crash-courseworld-history/you-aint-the-boss-of-me/v/crash-course-world-history-30