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Columbus lands on Hispaniola, which the original Taino inhabitants call Ayti. Columbus builds a small fort named La Navidad and leaves three dozen of his men behind to search for gold. Later, Spain imported slaves from Africa to harvest the bountiful amounts of sugar and coffee on Hispaniola. By the 1700s, thousands of slaves were being imported yearly to meet the colonist's needs.
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France sends a representative to Hispaniola to stake their claim on the island. Spain agrees and gives some of their land to France to set up plantations.
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Freed slaves of Saint-Dominique began to amass more wealth and power, even surpassing most whites of the island. Some freed slaves even owned plantations. Some Black owners conspired to assassinate white owners via poison. Slaves also began conspiring against their owners as the first stanza to the Haitian Revolution.
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As the French Revolution begins, the slaves of Hispaniola begin to conspire to revolt against their owners. The slaves sympathize with many of the ideas of the Jacobins, so they begin to copy their actions and start to revolt against their owners.
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A meticulous plan was created by slaves and freed blacks alike to take over the plantations in Saint-Dominique in August of 1791. On the 14th of August, their plan was set into action to hold the colony hostage to France. Over the course of two weeks, the slaves took over many plantations and either held them up or outright destroyed them.
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More slaves join the revolution as the revolters focus more on control than on destruction. The whites know that they cannot agree to the Haitian's demands, as colonialism is doomed to fail if they win. A young former slave by the name of Toussaint L'Ouverture rises among the ranks as an aspiring leader.
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France has lost control of most of the colony, as the Hatians and the Spanish join forces to remove France from the island. Unfortunately, Haiti quickly cuts ties with Spain after they refuse to abolish slavery. So, Haiti joins forces with France to remove Spain, and succeed.
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L'Ouverture assumes power in Haiti as France and Britain continue to attempt to take over. The British quickly surrender and leave, but France persists and keeps fighting. America backs France as they try to fight for Hispaniola.
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The final fight that Haiti faces for freedom is France, and France is losing. The French troops are suffering of famine and diseases, and they are also losing strongholds one by one. Eventually, France agrees to a ceasefire, so long as France leaves Haiti alone. Haiti has gained independence.
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On January 1, 1804, Haiti officially became independent. The first Haitian constitution is published soon after, focusing on national unity. Unfortunately, the revolution depleted most of the island's resources, leaving most of Haiti impoverished later on.
