Table of ContentsChristopher ColumbusCode NoirSocial StructureThe Beginning of the RevolutionToussaint The OvertureEurope's ReactionTreaty of the BasilKnife WarThe Overture Controlling All Hispaniola/Constitution of 1801Napoleon Against OpennessIndependenceEmperor DessalinesConsequencesStarting From 1791, the Haitian Revolution This is a series of disagreements between the colonists, Haitian slaves and the French, British and Spanish armies. After fighting for over a decade to gain independence from France, they finally won and became the first country founded by former slaves. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"?Get the original essayChristopher ColumbusIn 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed on the "Ocean Blue", landed on the island of North Hispaniola and established the first European colony. Columbus was a selfish and greedy man who enslaved the Tainos and forced them to mine for gold until they became extinct. Then in 1502 the first African slaves were brought to Hispaniola and by 1546 there were 12,000 slaves. France then created permanent colonies in the 1670s, consisting of plantations producing tobacco, sugar and coffee = slave labor. The left part of Hispaniola then became the richest colony in the Caribbean belonging to France, named Saint-Domingue. Code Noir When King Louis XIV created the Code Noir in 1685, it was a set of codes explaining France's position on slavery in the colonies. It consisted of the following: slaves were the personal property of their masters, slaves could not gather for marriage ceremonies or dances, captured runaway slaves could have their ears cut off or be killed, and the Code gave white planters the right to shoot. everyone they thought were fugitives. Between 1700 and 1791, 700,000 slaves were brought to Santo Domingo. Social structureThere was a social structure specific to the SD, there were four “classes”. The most superior and enjoying complete freedom were the Great Whites who were the owners of the plantations, the second class were known as the Freedmen who were the free people of color. Free people of color were mixed-race children, usually with white fathers, and were known as mulattoes. Even though mulattoes were mixed race, it was not uncommon for Freedmen to have their own plantations and their own slaves. Then there were the Little Whites who were the white working class: teachers, artisans, workers etc. Finally, the people who constitute the bulk of the population; slaves. In 1791, there were 32,000 Whites, 28,000 Freedmen and 500,000 slaves. The beginning of the revolution The French Revolution had a huge impact on the slaves of Saint-Domingue. In 1789, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen did not grant the colonies the same rights as France. However, many slaves believed they were freed, but their white masters refused to give them the freedom they thought they had. Then it happened. August 1791 marks the start of months of planning with Boukman Dutty: the main organizer of the rebellion. A month later, rebels killed hundreds of whites and burned more than 1,000 plantations. Toussaint L'ouverture Boukman Dutty was not the only person associated with the rebellion, Toussaint L'ouverture was too. L'Ouverture was a former slave who learned to read and write from his progressive master who later freed him in the 1770s. Similar to Napoleon, he was well known for his military and strategic genius which led his army to achieve severalthousands of soldiers under the Spanish. He essentially freed SD slaves and negotiated for the French colony of Hispaniola. Europe's Reaction With slaves and rebels having enough power, white planters allied themselves with the British because they believed it was the only way to keep slavery in SD. However, these beliefs did not come to fruition because the National Convention abolished slavery in 1794 to defeat the rebels. This plan worked as it led L'Ouverture to abandon the Spanish and join the French. to Santo Domingo to France. This precise event marked the about-face of L'ouverture as a turning point in the Haitian Revolution. Indeed, Louverture's support allowed France to control the colony while its power and influence increased. In March 1796, Louverture was named lieutenant governor of Saint-Domingue. The War of the Knives Slavery still existed in the British colonies and plantations were still in operation. Thus, in 1797, the leader of the Freedmen, André Rigaud, and Louverture expelled Great Britain from Saint-Domingue. Rigaud and Louverture made a good team but not for long, soon selfishness set in when they both had to determine who had control of the colony. War broke out between the two men in 1799, known as the War of the Knives. Louverture's black forces were against Rigaud's Freedmen and they feared that if the Freedmen won slavery, inequality would return. Louverture was so powerful that he commanded the north and west of Saint-Domingue, which allowed him to blockade Rigaud's forces for five months, so no food or supplies could reach them. Louverture knew that this was already a victory for him so, in July 1800, he sent his general-in-chief Jean-Jacques Dessalines to defeat Rigaud's army. Hispaniola, as governor of Santo Domingo, ceded control of the territory. His first act was to abolish slavery on the island, then he called an assembly to draft a constitution known as the Constitution of 1801. First, Louverture proclaimed himself governor general for life, then he created five laws that everyone must follow. Under his constitution he: abolished slavery and declared all citizens had equal rights, banned voodoo in favor of Catholicism (he was Catholic), all SD residents were French citizens, land was to be concentrated on large estates, citizens were required to work a mandatory number of hours on plantations in order to keep the economy running, and they received a daily wage. Although the people of Hispaniola wanted Louverture to have full control, his constitution led them to question whether Louverture was the best candidate for the position. Most people could not own land due to the great concentration, and Dessalines and many other officers encouraged soldiers to use violence if workers did not cooperate. These weren't the only things that pissed off the slaves; Louverture welcomed the exiled white planters back to the island and assumed absolute power as governor general for life. Many former slaves believed that life was almost the same as when they were slaves, just with a different name. Napoleon against L'ouverture Back in France, Napoleon was the only one in power and he considered the Constitution of 1801 as an aggressive measure for independence, so in October 1801 he sent 20,000 soldiers with General Leclerc to restore order and stability as well as retaking Santo Domingo. When his troops arrived in February 1802,..