-
Period: to
Colonization by France
Haiti is a French colony known as Saint-Domingue, and the richest colony in the world. Its many plantations used slave labor to produce cash crops such as sugar, coffee, cocoa, indigo, tobacco, and cotton. Society was organized with the white plantation owners at the top followed by the middle and lower class whites, then the free people of color and lastly the slaves at the bottom. -
French Revolution Begins
On this day, the Bastille is stormed by citizens of Paris, signalling the beginning of the French revolution and the end of the French monarchy. As a result the ideals of liberty and equality are prevalent in French society and spread to the colony of Saint-Domingue, where the rights of the slaves and free people of color were issues. -
Slave Rebellion Begins
The slaves of Saint-Domingue revolted against the rule of the French and their slaveowners. Led by a former slave Toussaint L’Ouverture. The number of slaves scared their owners as they were outnumbered 10-1, as did the brutal nature of the fighting. Additionally, the Americans were caught between supporting the ideals of freedom and liberty and being scared by the prospect of a slave revolt. -
French National Assembly Declares Citizenship for Free People of Color
In a double-reversal of its previous policy, the French National Assembly declares that all property owning free men of color have full citizenship in a bid to gain their favor in putting down the rebellion. This creates the two major sides in the war: The French as well and the Haitian whites and free people of color and the slaves. -
News of Execution of King Louis XVI
While in the midst of peace negotiations between French representative Leger Felicite Sonthonax and Toussaint L’Ouverture, the news of the king’s execution leads Toussaint to distrust the French and ally with the Spanish for assistance. The colonists devolve further into independence and royalist factions, making the fighting much more complicated. -
Sonthonax Frees All Slaves
Leger Felicite Sonthonax decrees that all slaves are to be freed, in what has been called the most radical action during the French revolution. After freeing part of the slave army to gain their favor against a rival French faction, Sonthonax is then pressured to free the entire 500,000 slaves on Saint-Domingue. This action signals the beginning of the peace treaty with revolutionary France in 1795. -
Toussaint-Louverture Makes Peace with Revolutionary France.
Toussaint-Louverture, a former slave, becomes the leader of the rebel group. He and his two best men make peace with the French in their colony after they have abolished slavery. Toussaint becomes the governor-general (chief representative) of the colony. -
Toussaint-Louverture Conquers the Entire Island
Toussaint-Louverture became the governor of his colony that he lived in. Then in 1801, he conquered the Spanish part of the the island (Santo Domingo, present day Dominican Republic) and freed the slaves there because he was a former slave. There was now no foreign power on the island. -
Napoleon Attacks Saint-Domingue
In January of 1802 Napoleon’s forces led by General Charles Leclerc arrives at Saint-Domingue and begins to oppose Toussaint-Louverture and his rebel group. After months of fighting Toussaint-Louverture a guerrilla warfare specialist Napoleon and him agree to a cease fire. Toussaint-Louverture returned to his plantation where he was arrested and taken to a prison in the french alps where he died. -
Haiti Gains Its Independence
After the arrest of Toussaint-Louverture, Napoleon says he wants to reintroduce slavery to Saint-Domingue, Toussaint's right hand man Jean-Jaques Dessalines leads a new revolt against French rule and wins. On November 9th 1803 the colonial powers surrender. In 1804 General Dessalines gained dictatorial power when Haiti becomes the second independent nation in the Americas.