Toussaint L'Ouverture was born in 1743 in Santo Domingo on a plantation in Cap-Haïtien. He was quite a prodigious young child: rather than working as a field slave and toiling under the scorching sun, he began his slave existence as a shepherd. Later, he became a bus driver and waiter for his owner. Ultimately, his owner saw such promise in him that he appointed L'Ouverture as overseer of the fellow slaves who worked in the fields. Throughout his tenure, being a more "upscale" slave, he had access to the plantation library. It was in this library that the godfather of L'Ouverture taught him to read and write and that the seeds of his future were sown. Around 1791, luck fell on L'Ouverture, as his owner granted him his freedom from the tight chains of slavery. . Shortly after his emancipation, he rented a small coffee plantation and acquired a dozen slaves himself. However, although he had indeed gained freedom, he was still one of 50,000 free blacks and mulattoes who continued to be subdued by society's dominant white men. Meanwhile, the mulattoes of Saint-Domingue sought places in the National Assembly, the French legislative body. at the time. Rejected, they revolted, with Vincent Ogé in charge. However, Ogé's time did not last and he was subsequently defeated and executed. With Ogé's death, a leadership vacuum remained. Then, seeing the void, L'Ouverture joined the revolution as a doctor and minor commander. Soon, L'Ouverture gained a reputation for his orderly rule and for training soldiers in guerrilla tactics and European shoulder-to-shoulder combat. What resulted from L'Ouverture's involvement was a chain of events that would have a great impact on the French Revolution...... middle of paper ...... saw an improvement in living conditions. In addition, schools, bridges and roads were built, leading to growth in foreign trade. The methods were certainly questionable, but ultimately, his promises were kept. Like that of many historical figures, Toussaint L'ouverture's legacy is a complex mix of positives and negatives. On the other hand, one could argue that L'Ouverture was a tyrannical dictatorial type who appointed himself governor general for life and who forced citizens to do hard labor. However, he also encouraged slaves to fight for their freedom, emancipated them in the national constitution, and contributed to Haiti's economic progress. Ultimately, Toussaint L'Ouverture has the legacy of a hero - albeit an imperfect one - as he was the driving force behind the slaves during the French Revolution, and ultimately, the driving force for Haiti as well..