Haiti is a country located in the Caribbean Sea, sharing the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic. Today, it houses a population of around 10 million and is marked by political turmoil and natural disasters. Historically, Haiti rose to prominence for rebelling against the system of slavery during the colonial era, ultimately emerging victorious and gaining independence.
In 1492, Christopher Columbus' exploration brought a wave of white settlers to exploit the New World, including Haiti. According to a Spanish priest, Las Cas, the indigenous Arawak population of the island was six million, but due to forced labor in mines and the diseases brought by Europeans, it dwindled to three million. The Hispaniola island, where Haiti is situated, was seized by French pirates in the 17th and 18th centuries. Initially a pirate stronghold, it later transformed into a sugar cane production center. France also conducted expeditions through Haiti to maintain and expand its presence, countering English and Spanish ships. The New World had become a chessboard for the old world's calculations.
Haiti gradually became a significant slave port due to its strategic location. Slaves brought from Africa were first taken to Haiti and then distributed to various regions of the Americas. By the late 18th century, sugar had become a vital commodity in Europe. In the New World, along with Jamaica, Haiti was an important sugarcane production region. The production of sugarcane required harsh conditions, leading to the exploitation of African slaves. In 1789, Haiti accounted for 40% of global sugar exports. At that time, Haiti had three classes: approximately 20,000 whites, who were plantation owners and belonged to the first class; a second class of free and educated citizens born of a white father and a black mother; and a third class of black African slaves who had no rights. These slaves were forced to work to death in the sugarcane fields. Due to the high mortality rate among slaves and a birth rate lower than the death rate, constant influx of new slaves from Africa was necessary. Some black slaves who escaped from the farms formed gangs in the forests and launched armed attacks, but these movements were easily suppressed because they lacked leaders and organization. Captured gang members were subjected to gruesome executions to serve as a deterrent to other slaves.
The whites on the island were wealthy from sugar cane exports. Due to their prosperity, they even considered becoming independent from France. However, being in the minority, they lived for a long time with the fear that any uprising, especially from the slaves, would disrupt their order. Before the revolution, about 90% of the island's population consisted of slaves.
The French Revolution of 1789 led to changes in France's colonies, including Haiti. Voices of freedom and equality resonated. Vincent Oge, a free mulatto (belonging to the second class), returned from France and claimed his right to vote, which was denied by the Haitian governor. In 1791, Oge initiated a revolt, which was suppressed after a brief conflict, and Oge was captured and executed. Oge would later become one of the catalysts and significant figures of the revolution. The initial clashes took place between whites and free mulattos. The black slaves were like a dormant volcano.
The white rulers in Haiti never imagined that the slaves would revolt. They considered them ignorant, uneducated, and inferior beings. On August 22, 1791, under the leadership of Dutty Boukman, a religious leader in North Haiti (later killed by the French), a major slave uprising began, and the unprepared whites suffered great losses. Within 10 days, the slave population took control of the wealthy northern coast, known for its sugar production. Initially, it was thought that the rebellion could be quickly suppressed. According to the whites, the rebels were merely slaves! Hence, they believed they lacked the ability to govern and think for themselves. However, reality delivered a harsh blow to the imperial whites, and their faces were swiftly slapped. The French writer Mirabeau described the whites on the island before the Haitian Revolution as "those who slept at the foot of Vesuvius". They were waiting as if Pompeii's people, unaware that the lava was about to come. The ruling class and plantation owners, convinced that a slave uprising was an incredibly remote possibility, did not even keep their possessions, including the arsenals, locked up.
Within a year after the uprising, France issued a decree on April 4, 1792, declaring that all people of color were equal. However, the French were playing a double game. Officially, they had not abolished slavery. To monitor the situation, France sent Felicite Sonthonax to Haiti. Felicite Sonthonax executed the Haitian governor who did not comply with the new decree and freed all the slaves in Haiti. At the same time, England and Spain attacked Haiti to take it from France. France formed an army, urging the black slaves to unite in their ranks and defeat the English and Spanish. The majority-black army, led by Toussaint L'Ouverture, a mulatto commander who had previously fought against the English, united with him, and mostly composed of black soldiers, defeated the English and Spanish on the island.
Toussaint L'Ouverture, who emerged as a powerful leader in Haiti, expanded his influence in the region. In 1798, he defeated the English, who tried to invade the island again. In 1801, he declared Haiti's new constitution and autonomy. He also declared himself president for life.
Napoleon Bonaparte's response was harsh. Napoleon wanted to bring the former colony, which was a source of revenue, back to the old order. He sent a large army to Haiti to reinstate slavery and end the existing regime. This time, it was presented as a new Crusade expedition to end the barbarism of blacks in the West. When the French army landed on the island, Jacques Dessalines, a close friend of Toussaint L'Ouverture, switched sides to the French. Although Toussaint L'Ouverture accepted the terms (May 1802) and surrendered his army, he was arrested and held in prison in France until his death in 1803.
Napoleon's army established control over the island in the summer of 1802. However, when it became clear that they intended to reinstate slavery, Jacques Dessalines attacked the French army with his forces in October 1802. The French army, in response, began displaying ruthless methods. The resistance of the Haitian army lasted for about a year, and when no support came from the mainland, the final battle took place on November 18, 1803, and the French fled the island. On January 1, 1804, Jacques Dessalines declared Haiti's independence. The country was given the name Haiti, which means "land of mountains" in the indigenous Arawak language.
The Haitian Revolution had significant global repercussions. It was the first successful uprising of black slaves and is often regarded as the only successful slave revolt in history. Thus, Haiti became the second country in the New World to gain freedom, following the United States. Haiti stands as the first republic founded by people of African descent. The effects of the Haitian Revolution are substantial. It is considered by many historians to be a crucial turning
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