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Haitian Revolution: A History from Beginning to End
Haitian Revolution Read On Your Computer, MAC, Smartphone, Kindle Reader, iPad, or Tablet. The Haitian Revolution began in 1791 in the French colony of Saint Domingue, when a group of slaves rebelled in order to secure their freedom and the end of slavery. In the midst of the French Revolution, slaves took advantage of volatile political, racial, and social circumstances. Inside you will read about... ✓ The French Colony of Saint Domingue ✓ Race and Class in Saint The Coming of Revolution ✓ The French Revolution in Saint Domingue ✓ The Haitian Revolution Breaks Out ✓ The Haitian Revolution and the World ✓ Napoleon ✓ The Continuing Struggle for Freedom And much more! With legendary leaders like Toussaint Louverture, they eventually defeated Napoleon’s France to form the independent nation of Haiti. The Haitian Revolution had both global causes and consequences. In the end, the entire world was impacted by the heroic actions of the most dispossessed people in the population.
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
122 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 11, 2016
188 people are currently reading
326 people want to read
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Hourly History
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
August 8, 2017
This is a brief overview of the Haitian Revolution (a short read of approximately an hour). My main criticism is that the book is missing a reference list for further reading.
April 1, 2020
Fascinating narration of a revolution that inspired a similar transformation in many colonies. Hourly History's description of historical events is truly admirable as they bring forth complexities of such events in a manner that they become intelligible even to those that may not have any understanding of the background.
March 13, 2018
Briefly written in simple English, yet with abundant information in enough detail, this book unexpectedly provides great evidence for the French global dominance under Bourbon Dynasty.
1. The Significance of the Country’s Independence in Our History
(Kindle Location 10)
...Haiti had been a French colony known as Saint Domingue for more than one hundred years when the revolution began...
(Kindle Locations 10-18)
...However, by the time it ended in 1804, the Haitian Revolution would completely overthrow the ruling class, abolish slavery, and challenge globally dominant ideas about race and power. The Haitian Revolution also reverberated around the world in different ways than other revolutions. In almost all areas of the Atlantic World (Europe, Africa, South America, and North America), economies were dependent on slave labor and the slave trade. This had included Saint Domingue, France’s most profitable colony (and arguably the most valuable colony in the entire Caribbean). Saint Domingue primarily produced sugar cane, an incredibly labor intensive cash crop. Slaves were regularly worked to death, as thousands more arrived each year to replace those made victim to profit.
Haiti became a Bourbon-French colony under Louis XIV. This most profitable colony of Bourbon-France started its revolutionary war with the downfall of dynastic rule of France under the rapid sway of French Revolution, and it was finally independent in the year Napoleon became the Emperor.
Between the time the land became French colony and the time it was independent, Bourbon-France was the champion of Europe and global superpower that Great Britain had to fight and overcome to take over the prestigious title from.
(Kindle Locations 29-36)
Present-day Haiti is one of the most historic places in the Caribbean. It is located in the western side of the island once called Hispaniola, so named by Christopher Columbus in 1492 on his first transatlantic voyage. After Columbus claimed it for Spain, the Spanish maintained control over it for more than one hundred years. During that time, they established plantations, began importing slaves, and decimated the indigenous Taíno and Arawak population. However, the Spanish lost interest in Hispaniola, as they became increasingly concerned with their mainland American holdings, which were enriching the coffers of the state much more than the islands. Partially in response to Spain’s neglect, French “pirates” began raiding as well as settling outposts around the island. Eventually, the presence of foreign ships became so threatening that Spain ordered all its subjects and citizens to relocate closer to the eastern city of Santo Domingo, abandoning the western side of the island (the Spanish also did not want to put out the effort to fortify the entire island). Close to the notorious pirate island of Tortuga, pirates of various national backgrounds and loyalties, but especially those beholden to France, established bases in western Hispaniola. By the mid-1650s, the French monarchy would no longer ignore the abundant natural resources available on these Caribbean islands. Louis XIV officially colonized Tortuga and Saint Domingue in 1665, overcoming resistance from pirates who had laid claim to the islands...
What an unintended, yet significant, role the country has played in our global history: Haiti was under Spain at its heyday while under France at her heyday as well. And it was independent as those monarchies collapsed as the parliament-controlled British power rose to the top of the global hegemony, although it wasn’t the absolutist monarchy, but the blind racism that caused the Human atrocity.
(Kindle Location 72)
By the middle of the eighteenth century Saint Domingue was lavishly wealthy. Many Frenchmen made their fortunes off of its riches, and the French government itself made handsome amounts of money from this prized colonial holding. However, the wealth masked the deep suffering of thousands of people, as well as growing racial and class discord. These problems would eventually explode into revolution.
(Kindle Locations 54-63)
...Eventually, thousands of maroons populated the interior of the island, and many of them would fight for the end of slavery during the Haitian Revolution. All French colonies lived under the French King’s Code Noir, which dictated the responsibilities of both slaves and owners. The original Code Noir was passed by Louis XIV in 1685. Despite these rules, however, atrocities were committed against slaves by their masters and their masters’ agents regularly. Rape and torture were common occurrences. Even when the worst kinds of human brutality were not unleashed, just the nature of work and discipline put thousands upon thousands of souls into an early grave. It was no wonder that so many chose to risk running away.
(Kindle Location 124)
For many decades, historians neglected to acknowledge the international implications of the French Revolution, at least the international implications beyond Europe. However, the causes and the impact of the French Revolution were felt worldwide, and certainly in all of France’s colonial holdings...
(Kindle Location 363)
The British recognized Napoleon as a serious threat, and since their own colony of Jamaica was close to Saint Domingue, they engaged in warfare in the Caribbean as well.
The Revolution and the ousting of Bourbon monarchy was the downfall of the one-and-a-half-century-long French hegemony completely taken by the British in the early-19th century. Today, due to the way we are taught, we don't see it right that the French Revolution and rise of Napoleon were actually the desperate last stance of the French hegemony released in an all-out war against all its challengers led by Great Britain.
(Kindle Locations 124-131)
Certainly, the French Revolution was not the only cause of the Haitian Revolution. It is not out of the realm of possibility to imagine that revolution in Saint Domingue may still have occurred at some point had there not been an Enlightenment-inspired revolution in France beginning in 1789, though probably later than it did.
Like it was pointed out in Gardiner's Thirty Years' War and again in this book, this intolerance of the Bourbon rule was the reason for the French monarchy to lose its hegemony to parliament-led Great Britain after all. The Bills of Right in 1689, not to mention the unification of England and Scotland as the United Kingdom of Great Britain, was definitely the opposite direction to the Edict of Fontainebleau (1685) in France, the revocation of Edict of Nantes (1598).
It looks like our historians today tend to miss the real lesson from the history.
2. Narrow-sighted Interpretations Are to Prevail among Historians Depending on Short-sighted Populism among the Innocent
(Kindle Location 252)
...the slaves were fighting for their own freedom and that of their loved ones. They were responding to centuries of brutality; certainly, they cared more about the fight than the troops arriving from France.
True, and sounds great. We all understand the way that was meant to be by nature when it comes to "loved ones."
But look at the country now: Haiti 2018. They were freed from their enemies only to create more enemies, even worse: Selfish corruption that caused mistrust and division within themselves. I wonder why they fought hard to be an “independent” nation, while I have to watch their children living in an extreme poverty after all, “depending” on all kinds of foreign aids to live day by day without hope for any long-term future.
(Kindle Locations 433-442)
Haiti’s story did not get happier as the nineteenth century wore on. Largely because of a stagnant economy and widespread poverty, unrest was always a factor. Several governmental coups took place, and periodic fighting was a constant presence. Crime was also relatively widespread. What was more, powerful nations often interfered directly and indirectly in Haiti’s affairs, including the United States, Great Britain, and Germany. They had no qualms about being a de-stabilizing force in the country and sometimes funded opposition governments that they believed would be more favorable to their interests. Up to the present day, Haiti has still struggled to develop. In 2010, the tiny nation attracted the world’s attention when a massive 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck. The world watched in horror as the death toll rose and rose. It became clear that Haiti’s crippling poverty was a huge factor: Shabbily built structures easily collapsed; the government’s ability to mobilize adequate response or rebuild was pitiful; and hundreds of people died from inadequate medical attention, infection, and ensuing disease. Even today, Haiti has not fully recovered.
(Kindle Locations 451-460)
For many, the image of Haiti was inspirational, particularly for the enslaved and oppressed in other places. This was a slave insurrection that managed to ultimately abolish slavery; it showed that this was possible, and inspired several slave rebellions over the coming decades, particularly a large slave rebellion in Louisiana in 1811. John Brown also wrote about the Haitian Revolution; it inspired his raid on Harpers Ferry and his goals to incite a similar, large-scale slave rebellion in the American South very shortly before the outbreak of the Civil War. The Haitian Revolution had an impact in other ways as well. Certainly, the memory of Toussaint Louverture is one of the most enduring legacies of the Haitian Revolution. Monuments to Louverture have been erected across the Americas and in France, in places as far flung as Canada and Cuba. He is also memorialized in Paris. He has inspired generations of individuals and groups in their own fights for freedom and is remembered more for his dedication to the abolition of slavery than for any brutality attributed to him, or for instituting forced labor in Saint Domingue. The Haitian Revolution itself has been used in much the same way: it is often invoked when people are fighting for freedom or trying to mobilize change “from below.” In fact, after Karl Marx wrote his treatises on class and economics, many have cited the Haitian Revolution as a truly Marxist event, as the most oppressed members of society rose up to overthrow their oppressors, eventually even going so far as to expel them from their new nation.
Again, sounds great: Lourverture achieved all that, or is believed to have achieved all that, only to leave one of the poorest countries behind for his and all the descendants of his followers who had bled for his grand idea of independent nation to be ruled by himself? Seriously, if he wasn't educated, trained, disciplined or naturally talented in the necessary fields for his new society, he should have stepped down after his part in the Revolution was over. What was it if not personal greed and selfish corruption?
His successor Dessalines was just like him. Although many people today use these individuals to be worshiped for their own purposes, “truth” is always there despite various “opinions” that tend to be more popular and easily accepted among the “innocent” people.
Regardless of their race, only certain type of people worship these individuals for the reason I mentioned to conclude the previous Goodreads book review: Hourly History’s King Louis XIV. This certain type of people don't care about their real ability that gets the actual work done for the people's long-term hope and future in “big” picture, but only wanna be recognized special with empty titles by touching the innocent emotions to satisfy their “personal” ego, though it’s hard to blame since it’s Human nature.
Let's be honest here: If you are a fellow global citizen of African-descent, we all are as Homo Sapiens-Sapiens, but I mean “by modern-standard”, please tell me; would you wanna be an African-American or a Haitian after all?
With this final question I rest my case.
1. The Significance of the Country’s Independence in Our History
(Kindle Location 10)
...Haiti had been a French colony known as Saint Domingue for more than one hundred years when the revolution began...
(Kindle Locations 10-18)
...However, by the time it ended in 1804, the Haitian Revolution would completely overthrow the ruling class, abolish slavery, and challenge globally dominant ideas about race and power. The Haitian Revolution also reverberated around the world in different ways than other revolutions. In almost all areas of the Atlantic World (Europe, Africa, South America, and North America), economies were dependent on slave labor and the slave trade. This had included Saint Domingue, France’s most profitable colony (and arguably the most valuable colony in the entire Caribbean). Saint Domingue primarily produced sugar cane, an incredibly labor intensive cash crop. Slaves were regularly worked to death, as thousands more arrived each year to replace those made victim to profit.
Haiti became a Bourbon-French colony under Louis XIV. This most profitable colony of Bourbon-France started its revolutionary war with the downfall of dynastic rule of France under the rapid sway of French Revolution, and it was finally independent in the year Napoleon became the Emperor.
Between the time the land became French colony and the time it was independent, Bourbon-France was the champion of Europe and global superpower that Great Britain had to fight and overcome to take over the prestigious title from.
(Kindle Locations 29-36)
Present-day Haiti is one of the most historic places in the Caribbean. It is located in the western side of the island once called Hispaniola, so named by Christopher Columbus in 1492 on his first transatlantic voyage. After Columbus claimed it for Spain, the Spanish maintained control over it for more than one hundred years. During that time, they established plantations, began importing slaves, and decimated the indigenous Taíno and Arawak population. However, the Spanish lost interest in Hispaniola, as they became increasingly concerned with their mainland American holdings, which were enriching the coffers of the state much more than the islands. Partially in response to Spain’s neglect, French “pirates” began raiding as well as settling outposts around the island. Eventually, the presence of foreign ships became so threatening that Spain ordered all its subjects and citizens to relocate closer to the eastern city of Santo Domingo, abandoning the western side of the island (the Spanish also did not want to put out the effort to fortify the entire island). Close to the notorious pirate island of Tortuga, pirates of various national backgrounds and loyalties, but especially those beholden to France, established bases in western Hispaniola. By the mid-1650s, the French monarchy would no longer ignore the abundant natural resources available on these Caribbean islands. Louis XIV officially colonized Tortuga and Saint Domingue in 1665, overcoming resistance from pirates who had laid claim to the islands...
What an unintended, yet significant, role the country has played in our global history: Haiti was under Spain at its heyday while under France at her heyday as well. And it was independent as those monarchies collapsed as the parliament-controlled British power rose to the top of the global hegemony, although it wasn’t the absolutist monarchy, but the blind racism that caused the Human atrocity.
(Kindle Location 72)
By the middle of the eighteenth century Saint Domingue was lavishly wealthy. Many Frenchmen made their fortunes off of its riches, and the French government itself made handsome amounts of money from this prized colonial holding. However, the wealth masked the deep suffering of thousands of people, as well as growing racial and class discord. These problems would eventually explode into revolution.
(Kindle Locations 54-63)
...Eventually, thousands of maroons populated the interior of the island, and many of them would fight for the end of slavery during the Haitian Revolution. All French colonies lived under the French King’s Code Noir, which dictated the responsibilities of both slaves and owners. The original Code Noir was passed by Louis XIV in 1685. Despite these rules, however, atrocities were committed against slaves by their masters and their masters’ agents regularly. Rape and torture were common occurrences. Even when the worst kinds of human brutality were not unleashed, just the nature of work and discipline put thousands upon thousands of souls into an early grave. It was no wonder that so many chose to risk running away.
(Kindle Location 124)
For many decades, historians neglected to acknowledge the international implications of the French Revolution, at least the international implications beyond Europe. However, the causes and the impact of the French Revolution were felt worldwide, and certainly in all of France’s colonial holdings...
(Kindle Location 363)
The British recognized Napoleon as a serious threat, and since their own colony of Jamaica was close to Saint Domingue, they engaged in warfare in the Caribbean as well.
The Revolution and the ousting of Bourbon monarchy was the downfall of the one-and-a-half-century-long French hegemony completely taken by the British in the early-19th century. Today, due to the way we are taught, we don't see it right that the French Revolution and rise of Napoleon were actually the desperate last stance of the French hegemony released in an all-out war against all its challengers led by Great Britain.
(Kindle Locations 124-131)
Certainly, the French Revolution was not the only cause of the Haitian Revolution. It is not out of the realm of possibility to imagine that revolution in Saint Domingue may still have occurred at some point had there not been an Enlightenment-inspired revolution in France beginning in 1789, though probably later than it did.
Like it was pointed out in Gardiner's Thirty Years' War and again in this book, this intolerance of the Bourbon rule was the reason for the French monarchy to lose its hegemony to parliament-led Great Britain after all. The Bills of Right in 1689, not to mention the unification of England and Scotland as the United Kingdom of Great Britain, was definitely the opposite direction to the Edict of Fontainebleau (1685) in France, the revocation of Edict of Nantes (1598).
It looks like our historians today tend to miss the real lesson from the history.
2. Narrow-sighted Interpretations Are to Prevail among Historians Depending on Short-sighted Populism among the Innocent
(Kindle Location 252)
...the slaves were fighting for their own freedom and that of their loved ones. They were responding to centuries of brutality; certainly, they cared more about the fight than the troops arriving from France.
True, and sounds great. We all understand the way that was meant to be by nature when it comes to "loved ones."
But look at the country now: Haiti 2018. They were freed from their enemies only to create more enemies, even worse: Selfish corruption that caused mistrust and division within themselves. I wonder why they fought hard to be an “independent” nation, while I have to watch their children living in an extreme poverty after all, “depending” on all kinds of foreign aids to live day by day without hope for any long-term future.
(Kindle Locations 433-442)
Haiti’s story did not get happier as the nineteenth century wore on. Largely because of a stagnant economy and widespread poverty, unrest was always a factor. Several governmental coups took place, and periodic fighting was a constant presence. Crime was also relatively widespread. What was more, powerful nations often interfered directly and indirectly in Haiti’s affairs, including the United States, Great Britain, and Germany. They had no qualms about being a de-stabilizing force in the country and sometimes funded opposition governments that they believed would be more favorable to their interests. Up to the present day, Haiti has still struggled to develop. In 2010, the tiny nation attracted the world’s attention when a massive 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck. The world watched in horror as the death toll rose and rose. It became clear that Haiti’s crippling poverty was a huge factor: Shabbily built structures easily collapsed; the government’s ability to mobilize adequate response or rebuild was pitiful; and hundreds of people died from inadequate medical attention, infection, and ensuing disease. Even today, Haiti has not fully recovered.
(Kindle Locations 451-460)
For many, the image of Haiti was inspirational, particularly for the enslaved and oppressed in other places. This was a slave insurrection that managed to ultimately abolish slavery; it showed that this was possible, and inspired several slave rebellions over the coming decades, particularly a large slave rebellion in Louisiana in 1811. John Brown also wrote about the Haitian Revolution; it inspired his raid on Harpers Ferry and his goals to incite a similar, large-scale slave rebellion in the American South very shortly before the outbreak of the Civil War. The Haitian Revolution had an impact in other ways as well. Certainly, the memory of Toussaint Louverture is one of the most enduring legacies of the Haitian Revolution. Monuments to Louverture have been erected across the Americas and in France, in places as far flung as Canada and Cuba. He is also memorialized in Paris. He has inspired generations of individuals and groups in their own fights for freedom and is remembered more for his dedication to the abolition of slavery than for any brutality attributed to him, or for instituting forced labor in Saint Domingue. The Haitian Revolution itself has been used in much the same way: it is often invoked when people are fighting for freedom or trying to mobilize change “from below.” In fact, after Karl Marx wrote his treatises on class and economics, many have cited the Haitian Revolution as a truly Marxist event, as the most oppressed members of society rose up to overthrow their oppressors, eventually even going so far as to expel them from their new nation.
Again, sounds great: Lourverture achieved all that, or is believed to have achieved all that, only to leave one of the poorest countries behind for his and all the descendants of his followers who had bled for his grand idea of independent nation to be ruled by himself? Seriously, if he wasn't educated, trained, disciplined or naturally talented in the necessary fields for his new society, he should have stepped down after his part in the Revolution was over. What was it if not personal greed and selfish corruption?
His successor Dessalines was just like him. Although many people today use these individuals to be worshiped for their own purposes, “truth” is always there despite various “opinions” that tend to be more popular and easily accepted among the “innocent” people.
Regardless of their race, only certain type of people worship these individuals for the reason I mentioned to conclude the previous Goodreads book review: Hourly History’s King Louis XIV. This certain type of people don't care about their real ability that gets the actual work done for the people's long-term hope and future in “big” picture, but only wanna be recognized special with empty titles by touching the innocent emotions to satisfy their “personal” ego, though it’s hard to blame since it’s Human nature.
Let's be honest here: If you are a fellow global citizen of African-descent, we all are as Homo Sapiens-Sapiens, but I mean “by modern-standard”, please tell me; would you wanna be an African-American or a Haitian after all?
With this final question I rest my case.
May 9, 2017
This book was being offered as a free ebook download on a homeschool resource Facebook page I follow. It was concise, yet informative and thorough. As advertised, I was truly able to read it in under an hour. The Haitian revolution is a complicated topic, but I thought it was explained well, especially for a book of its size (about 50 pages). I will keep other Hourly History books in mind in the future for both homeschooling and my own personal fulfillment and enjoyment.
August 9, 2021
Revolution
We relish the word "revolution." But what happens after the revolution?
The ones who deemed themselves oppressed, don't have time to think about what happens after the revolution due to fact that they are trying to achieve it. Their time is solely on the act, not the after.
As a result, the revolution is eroding as it is conceiving. As we see in the case of Haiti, the revolution was successful, but independence never came.
To be free, yet not be. What a conundrum.
We relish the word "revolution." But what happens after the revolution?
The ones who deemed themselves oppressed, don't have time to think about what happens after the revolution due to fact that they are trying to achieve it. Their time is solely on the act, not the after.
As a result, the revolution is eroding as it is conceiving. As we see in the case of Haiti, the revolution was successful, but independence never came.
To be free, yet not be. What a conundrum.
April 22, 2020
Si bien se trata de una serie de libros pequeños de rápida lectura, este ejemplar es un catálogo de agresiones de los países coloniales. Me gustó demasiado porque es conciso y certero.
Haití está asentado en la parte oeste de la isla que los invasores españoles conocieron como "La Española". En la parte este se asentaría Santo Domingo, hoy República Dominicana.
Conforme España perdió interés en Haití, Francia fue adquiriendo presencia primero mediante piratas y luego a través de una colonización descarada con la que fueron esclavizando a los habitantes. Para los años 1790, de "La Perla de las Antillas" salía buena cantidad del azúcar y café que se consumían en el mundo.
La independencia surge como rechazo a la explotación, a la esclavitud, a métodos brutales como violación sexual y tortura para infundir miedo en la población. Uno de los precursores independentistas fue François Mackandal. Nacido en África y transportado como esclavo, inició en Haití el movimiento "cimarrón". Así se define a los esclavos rebeldes, un fenómeno social que se dio en otras partes de América.
Posteriormente, se publicó en Francia la Declaración de los Derechos del Hombre, documento que inspiró a muchos movimientos independentistas latinoamericanos. Así coincide el surgimiento de Toussaint Louverture, un antiguo esclavo que consiguió su libertad en 1776.
Inspirado en mejores condiciones de vida para preses y esclaves, inició revueltas populares que duraron mucho tiempo porque Francia no lograba enviar tropas para aplacar la rebelión, pues estaba ocupada en otras guerras en Europa. El tiempo pasó y con la llegada de la Primera República Francesa (1792-1804)a, se decretó la libertad para les esclaves de las colonias francesas.
Nada es para siempre, por lo que el sicópata francés Napoleón Bonaparte decide recuperar su colonia haitiana. Envía soldados para aplastar la rebelión, cosa que le toma tiempo, hasta lograr la aprehensión de Louverture en 1802. No obstante el independentista haitiano muere en cautiverio en 1803, nunca ha dejado de ser considerado una figura libertaria de importancia hasta la fecha, pues tuvo bastantes contactos políticos con nuestro Libertador Simón Bolívar.
Napoleón se empantana en las guerras europeas y decide vender Luisiana a EUA, manifestando su menor interés por las colonias en América.
El 1 de enero de 1804, Jean Jacques Dessalines proclama la independencia y nacimiento de República de Haití, nombre en legua arawak que significa "la tierra de las montañas altas". Con el paso del tiempo, la haitiana fue considerada una revolución marxista debido a la revuelta de las clases oprimidas contra los esclavistas blancos.
Hubo mucho hipócrita, como el presidente yanqui Thomas Jefferson, que se opusieron a reconocer a la naciente Rep. de Haití. La causa era que él mismo era propietario de esclaves. Consideró que la independencia haitiana había sido muy violenta... ¡sí, el presidente de EUA! ese país nacido a base de limpiezas étnicas contra les indies natives.
Otros países, europeos la mayoría, tampoco reconocieron a Haití porque habrían tenido que aceptar la falsedad moral y humana sobre la que se basaba su economía: esclavitud en sus colonias americanas.
Lejos de recibir compensaciones por la esclavitud, ¡Haití fue forzado a pagar 150 millones de francos de esa época a Francia! El estado francés actual sigue siendo tan criminal como el de antaño.
Considero urgente que París reconozca sus crímenes cometidos con tanta saña contra el pueblo haitiano, además de proceder a una cuantiosa indemnización. Cualquier balbuceo para no cumplir esa condición sería un pretexto más de las bandas criminales-financieras que han gobernado Francia desde hace siglos. Ayudaría mucho que el(la) bodrio humano que encabece Francia en ese momento firme el documento de rodillas en Puerto Príncipe a manera de sincero perdón. Por eso es por lo que me parece hipócrita lo que hace Francia cada vez que manifiesta su "preocupación" por la mala situación en Haití. Francia es LO PEOR que le pudo pasar a Haití en 100 vidas.
Los gobiernos de Europa son un asco. Siguen sin reconocer sus responsabilidad por el mundo, porque más de una vez han bloqueado a gobiernos libres a los que no compraban sus productos para así sabotear sus economías.
53 páginas publicadas por Hourly History.
Haití está asentado en la parte oeste de la isla que los invasores españoles conocieron como "La Española". En la parte este se asentaría Santo Domingo, hoy República Dominicana.
Conforme España perdió interés en Haití, Francia fue adquiriendo presencia primero mediante piratas y luego a través de una colonización descarada con la que fueron esclavizando a los habitantes. Para los años 1790, de "La Perla de las Antillas" salía buena cantidad del azúcar y café que se consumían en el mundo.
La independencia surge como rechazo a la explotación, a la esclavitud, a métodos brutales como violación sexual y tortura para infundir miedo en la población. Uno de los precursores independentistas fue François Mackandal. Nacido en África y transportado como esclavo, inició en Haití el movimiento "cimarrón". Así se define a los esclavos rebeldes, un fenómeno social que se dio en otras partes de América.
Posteriormente, se publicó en Francia la Declaración de los Derechos del Hombre, documento que inspiró a muchos movimientos independentistas latinoamericanos. Así coincide el surgimiento de Toussaint Louverture, un antiguo esclavo que consiguió su libertad en 1776.
Inspirado en mejores condiciones de vida para preses y esclaves, inició revueltas populares que duraron mucho tiempo porque Francia no lograba enviar tropas para aplacar la rebelión, pues estaba ocupada en otras guerras en Europa. El tiempo pasó y con la llegada de la Primera República Francesa (1792-1804)a, se decretó la libertad para les esclaves de las colonias francesas.
Nada es para siempre, por lo que el sicópata francés Napoleón Bonaparte decide recuperar su colonia haitiana. Envía soldados para aplastar la rebelión, cosa que le toma tiempo, hasta lograr la aprehensión de Louverture en 1802. No obstante el independentista haitiano muere en cautiverio en 1803, nunca ha dejado de ser considerado una figura libertaria de importancia hasta la fecha, pues tuvo bastantes contactos políticos con nuestro Libertador Simón Bolívar.
Napoleón se empantana en las guerras europeas y decide vender Luisiana a EUA, manifestando su menor interés por las colonias en América.
El 1 de enero de 1804, Jean Jacques Dessalines proclama la independencia y nacimiento de República de Haití, nombre en legua arawak que significa "la tierra de las montañas altas". Con el paso del tiempo, la haitiana fue considerada una revolución marxista debido a la revuelta de las clases oprimidas contra los esclavistas blancos.
Hubo mucho hipócrita, como el presidente yanqui Thomas Jefferson, que se opusieron a reconocer a la naciente Rep. de Haití. La causa era que él mismo era propietario de esclaves. Consideró que la independencia haitiana había sido muy violenta... ¡sí, el presidente de EUA! ese país nacido a base de limpiezas étnicas contra les indies natives.
Otros países, europeos la mayoría, tampoco reconocieron a Haití porque habrían tenido que aceptar la falsedad moral y humana sobre la que se basaba su economía: esclavitud en sus colonias americanas.
Lejos de recibir compensaciones por la esclavitud, ¡Haití fue forzado a pagar 150 millones de francos de esa época a Francia! El estado francés actual sigue siendo tan criminal como el de antaño.
Considero urgente que París reconozca sus crímenes cometidos con tanta saña contra el pueblo haitiano, además de proceder a una cuantiosa indemnización. Cualquier balbuceo para no cumplir esa condición sería un pretexto más de las bandas criminales-financieras que han gobernado Francia desde hace siglos. Ayudaría mucho que el(la) bodrio humano que encabece Francia en ese momento firme el documento de rodillas en Puerto Príncipe a manera de sincero perdón. Por eso es por lo que me parece hipócrita lo que hace Francia cada vez que manifiesta su "preocupación" por la mala situación en Haití. Francia es LO PEOR que le pudo pasar a Haití en 100 vidas.
Los gobiernos de Europa son un asco. Siguen sin reconocer sus responsabilidad por el mundo, porque más de una vez han bloqueado a gobiernos libres a los que no compraban sus productos para así sabotear sus economías.
53 páginas publicadas por Hourly History.
October 1, 2017
This is a short summary of the revolution that shook the world in the 19th Century, being the one at the then French colony Saint Domingue (Haiti). People are aware of defiant blacks like Rosa Parks or Martin Luther King Jr. but the first successful revolution by the blacks was possibly by the slaves of Haiti.
The book starts with how the French established a colony in the island of Hispaniola which was earlier under the full control of Spain. The book goes on to describe the complex class system that was established to govern the French colony, where whites had full rights whereas the rights of mixed race people was dependent on the extent to which they were white. The book touched upon the two main personalities of the revolution, being Toussaint Louverture who established control during the early stages of revolution till his imprisonment and death followed by that of Jean Dessalines, who founded the new nation of Haiti, a first case of slaves overthrowing their colonial overlords.
The book focused on the events well and also kept the interest by touching upon the acts of well-known personalities in the revolution, such as Napoleon. Additionally, the book also talked about brutalities from both sides, talking about how whites treated the slaves and also how Dessalines ordered the massacre of all the remaining whites in the island post his victory in the revolution. I had very little knowledge of the Haitian revolution barring the fact the flag of Haiti was stitched from the torn pieces of the French flag post their victory but this book managed to touch upon a lot of information in less than an hour, and thus, the book was quite effective. The book also managed to conclude well; giving insight into why Haiti is still poor despite centuries of independence; arising from the economic blockade and tribute imposed by France post their independence.
The only aspect that I found to be lacking was France’s economic interests in Saint Domingue, being the coffee and sugar plantations, which was hardly mentioned.
The book was a good read, considering, I had very little knowledge about the topic prior to reading the book. I would award the book a rating of four on five.
The book starts with how the French established a colony in the island of Hispaniola which was earlier under the full control of Spain. The book goes on to describe the complex class system that was established to govern the French colony, where whites had full rights whereas the rights of mixed race people was dependent on the extent to which they were white. The book touched upon the two main personalities of the revolution, being Toussaint Louverture who established control during the early stages of revolution till his imprisonment and death followed by that of Jean Dessalines, who founded the new nation of Haiti, a first case of slaves overthrowing their colonial overlords.
The book focused on the events well and also kept the interest by touching upon the acts of well-known personalities in the revolution, such as Napoleon. Additionally, the book also talked about brutalities from both sides, talking about how whites treated the slaves and also how Dessalines ordered the massacre of all the remaining whites in the island post his victory in the revolution. I had very little knowledge of the Haitian revolution barring the fact the flag of Haiti was stitched from the torn pieces of the French flag post their victory but this book managed to touch upon a lot of information in less than an hour, and thus, the book was quite effective. The book also managed to conclude well; giving insight into why Haiti is still poor despite centuries of independence; arising from the economic blockade and tribute imposed by France post their independence.
The only aspect that I found to be lacking was France’s economic interests in Saint Domingue, being the coffee and sugar plantations, which was hardly mentioned.
The book was a good read, considering, I had very little knowledge about the topic prior to reading the book. I would award the book a rating of four on five.
May 20, 2022
Short but very informative overview of the revolution that changed the Caribbean forever, and also influenced American history. This book provided me with just enough background for character biographies for my novel-in-progress, without being a long, drawn-out read.
I will revisit this in the future, as I found the subject fascinating and the facts in this book can easily lead me into a true rabbit hole of further reading and research regarding Haiti and the problems the country still faces today.
This could be read in one sitting if your general living allows...mine didn't :-(
I will revisit this in the future, as I found the subject fascinating and the facts in this book can easily lead me into a true rabbit hole of further reading and research regarding Haiti and the problems the country still faces today.
This could be read in one sitting if your general living allows...mine didn't :-(
July 1, 2020
Enjoyed
the Haitian revolution was everything. This book was Very informative and inspiring, the author did amazing chronicling the events, the desperation and the urgency of the people to take freedom was felt throughout the text, This part of history should be recognized and taught in school curriculums and in households,
the Haitian revolution was everything. This book was Very informative and inspiring, the author did amazing chronicling the events, the desperation and the urgency of the people to take freedom was felt throughout the text, This part of history should be recognized and taught in school curriculums and in households,
October 15, 2021
Love the book, simply awesome. People who appreciated history will enjoy this book for sure. A great book purchased my copy from e-sentral,
if you want the link here it is
https://e-sentral.com/book/info/289728
Have fun reading it!
if you want the link here it is
https://e-sentral.com/book/info/289728
Have fun reading it!
October 31, 2021
Screwed no matter what
A sad read that educated me to why Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere. An island with no trade partners. Independence and freedom with no chance of opulence. A sad read.
A sad read that educated me to why Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere. An island with no trade partners. Independence and freedom with no chance of opulence. A sad read.
November 29, 2021
I learned a lot
I had no idea that the slaves of Haiti led a revolution far earlier than Americas movement and more successful. I also had no idea that France has such a pivotal I keeping slavery active.
I had no idea that the slaves of Haiti led a revolution far earlier than Americas movement and more successful. I also had no idea that France has such a pivotal I keeping slavery active.
February 15, 2023
This summary of the Haitian Revolution is perfect for someone unfamiliar with the topic/event to gain a basic understanding of the social, political, and cultural conditions of the time, what occurred, who the major players were, and the outcome.
May 11, 2024
A very good read
Liked this book more than most I have read in this series of books by Hourly History. A great insight into the Haitian Revolution and it's main characters. A very good read and one that I would recommend for even the casual reader.
Liked this book more than most I have read in this series of books by Hourly History. A great insight into the Haitian Revolution and it's main characters. A very good read and one that I would recommend for even the casual reader.
May 20, 2017
Short overview of the events that created and hampers progress in this small Caribbean nation.
June 1, 2017
I for one had never had a proper understanding about the Haitian revolution, and I must say this book though concise did shed a lot of light on the Revolution .Like all revolutions,the Haitian revolution had just the right recipe; growing resentment towards oppression, the need for self determination and self rule. However, Haiti though now independent still remains one of the poorest countries in the world...this book sheds more light on why this is the case. A good read.
June 3, 2017
Wow. Bloody Revolution
I have to say this Book was very Interesting as well as terrifying. I wouldn't consider this a TREATISE ON THE Topic more of an Interesting Read
I have to say this Book was very Interesting as well as terrifying. I wouldn't consider this a TREATISE ON THE Topic more of an Interesting Read
June 29, 2017
Poignant and so informative
I discover so many I never knew so, I think people should read this book to discover more about history.
I discover so many I never knew so, I think people should read this book to discover more about history.
August 22, 2017
Interesting.
An interesting and brief look at the Haitian evolution. Short, but gives enough information for a general overview of events.
An interesting and brief look at the Haitian evolution. Short, but gives enough information for a general overview of events.
March 23, 2019
Good read.
This book gives you some knowledge but it gets increasingly harder to read as you progress. Perhaps because it seems that there's increased violence and war.
This book gives you some knowledge but it gets increasingly harder to read as you progress. Perhaps because it seems that there's increased violence and war.
August 15, 2020
Good Resource
It was very helpful. It gave me great information for my Black History class. I'm glad that I found it.
It was very helpful. It gave me great information for my Black History class. I'm glad that I found it.
September 9, 2020
I've read a few of these books (easy to read during commercials!) and this is easily the best one I've read.
January 2, 2021
Good Overview of the Haitian Revolution
This is a good overview of the Haitian Revolution. The 1-2 hours you invest to read it are well spent.
This is a good overview of the Haitian Revolution. The 1-2 hours you invest to read it are well spent.
June 12, 2021
Great Read!
This book should be a requirement in history classes of high school/college. Really enjoyed learning about the Haitian Revolution. Perfect!
This book should be a requirement in history classes of high school/college. Really enjoyed learning about the Haitian Revolution. Perfect!
August 31, 2021
Quick and informative.
December 1, 2024
Short but sweet introduction to Haitian History. I had hoped for a chapter that covers black dictatorships in Haiti post-independence but enjoyed the read nonetheless.
October 11, 2025
Just few pages. I felt it was not exhuastive. Easy to read but it I felt it was written in a rush. Not a must to understand the history of Haiti.
April 8, 2017
Very Impressive
For an overview of something as complex as the Haitian Revolution this was very informative and well done. I didn't feel like it was rushed or half-done. Some minor proofreading needs to happen but that's it.
For an overview of something as complex as the Haitian Revolution this was very informative and well done. I didn't feel like it was rushed or half-done. Some minor proofreading needs to happen but that's it.
April 19, 2017
“It is not a liberty of circumstance, conceded to us alone, that we wish; it is the adoption absolute of the principal that no man, born red, black or white, can be the property of his fellow man.”
Toussaint Louverture
In 1492, the first landfall Christopher Columbus made in the New World was an island. He named this island Hispaniola and claimed it for Spain. Although this island was agriculturally rich, Spain soon lost interest in it, favoring the lands of South America. During the middle of the 17th Century, the Port of Tortuga became a favored port of call for pirates. These pirates, being of an international breed, soon took control of the western side of the island. In 1665, the French, under King Louis XIV took unofficially possession of half of the island. Not until 1697 with the signing of the Treaty of Ryswick, was it official.
Renamed Saint Domingue, it proved to be very profitable. Sugar cane, indigo, and coffee were the primary crops. Both of these crops were extremely labor intensive, making slavery the perceived route to continued prosperity. The enslavement of people, primarily from Africa, was an accepted practice, but in Saint Domingue, it took on a much more sinister and brutal face. It proved economically sounder to bring in increasing numbers of new slaves, rather than properly feeding, clothing, and caring for the slaves already there. It is no wonder that Saint Domingue would be the first hotbed of dissent and the first to revolt.
Possibly inspired by the American and French Revolutions, Saint Domingue only lacked a figurehead to unite and inspire them to revolt. Francois Mackandal was the first to meet this challenge. Although he was eventually caught, tortured, and eventually burned at the stake, he started something that couldn’t be stopped; the thirst for freedom. The fact that slaves vastly outnumbered whites and freemen of various degree of color increased the fear of possible insurrection.
The Declaration of the Rights of Man, issued in by the French National Assembly in 1789 at the start of the French Revolution, impacted the world, and especially Saint Domingue. This quote, “Men are born and remain free and equal in rights….Liberty consists in the freedom to do everything which injures no one else”; maybe not as eloquently stated as Thomas Jefferson in the U.S. Declaration of Independence, but with equal impact. Every great revolution has its heroes. In Saint Domingue, this man was Toussaint Louverture, and like many others of his ilk, he proved to be a man of vision.
I find it interesting to note the similarities between Saint Domingue (and indeed many colonies throughout South America and the Caribbean islands) and the Thirteen Colonies along the eastern seaboard of North America.
This short history is very interesting and begs for a more in-depth study. Like all of the books in this series, it provides a taste, food for thought, and an inspiration to learn more. This book should appeal to everyone.
Toussaint Louverture
In 1492, the first landfall Christopher Columbus made in the New World was an island. He named this island Hispaniola and claimed it for Spain. Although this island was agriculturally rich, Spain soon lost interest in it, favoring the lands of South America. During the middle of the 17th Century, the Port of Tortuga became a favored port of call for pirates. These pirates, being of an international breed, soon took control of the western side of the island. In 1665, the French, under King Louis XIV took unofficially possession of half of the island. Not until 1697 with the signing of the Treaty of Ryswick, was it official.
Renamed Saint Domingue, it proved to be very profitable. Sugar cane, indigo, and coffee were the primary crops. Both of these crops were extremely labor intensive, making slavery the perceived route to continued prosperity. The enslavement of people, primarily from Africa, was an accepted practice, but in Saint Domingue, it took on a much more sinister and brutal face. It proved economically sounder to bring in increasing numbers of new slaves, rather than properly feeding, clothing, and caring for the slaves already there. It is no wonder that Saint Domingue would be the first hotbed of dissent and the first to revolt.
Possibly inspired by the American and French Revolutions, Saint Domingue only lacked a figurehead to unite and inspire them to revolt. Francois Mackandal was the first to meet this challenge. Although he was eventually caught, tortured, and eventually burned at the stake, he started something that couldn’t be stopped; the thirst for freedom. The fact that slaves vastly outnumbered whites and freemen of various degree of color increased the fear of possible insurrection.
The Declaration of the Rights of Man, issued in by the French National Assembly in 1789 at the start of the French Revolution, impacted the world, and especially Saint Domingue. This quote, “Men are born and remain free and equal in rights….Liberty consists in the freedom to do everything which injures no one else”; maybe not as eloquently stated as Thomas Jefferson in the U.S. Declaration of Independence, but with equal impact. Every great revolution has its heroes. In Saint Domingue, this man was Toussaint Louverture, and like many others of his ilk, he proved to be a man of vision.
I find it interesting to note the similarities between Saint Domingue (and indeed many colonies throughout South America and the Caribbean islands) and the Thirteen Colonies along the eastern seaboard of North America.
This short history is very interesting and begs for a more in-depth study. Like all of the books in this series, it provides a taste, food for thought, and an inspiration to learn more. This book should appeal to everyone.
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