Haitian Revolutions: Crash Course World History #30

Summary

This Crash Course episode delves into the Haitian Revolutions, a significant yet often overlooked historical event that began with the French colony of Saint-Domingue. The video discusses the brutal conditions of slavery that fueled the revolt, led by figures like Toussaint L'Ouverture, and the subsequent fight for independence against Napoleon's forces. The Haitian Revolution not only ended slavery in the colony but also influenced the course of American history, as it led to the Louisiana Purchase. The episode highlights the importance of Haiti's struggle for freedom and its impact on the abolition of slavery and the establishment of a nation governed by people of African descent.

Takeaways

• 📚 The Haitian Revolution is often overlooked but is significant in world history due to its impact on slavery and Napoleon's ambitions.
• 🏰 Saint-Domingue, the French colony on the island of Hispaniola, became a major producer of sugar and coffee, largely through the brutal exploitation of enslaved Africans.
• 💼 The French settlers initially made their living selling leather and 'boucan', a type of smoked beef, before transitioning to piracy and then sugar plantations.
• 🌍 Saint-Domingue's plantations were so profitable that by 1700, it was the most valuable colony in the West Indies, producing a significant portion of Europe's sugar and coffee.
• 🔄 The harsh conditions of the sugar plantations prevented natural population growth among the enslaved, leading to a continuous influx of African slaves.
• 🏴‍☠️ The French colonists of Saint-Domingue were initially pirates who later invested in sugar plantations, contributing to the colony's economic boom.
• 🗝️ Colonial society in Saint-Domingue was divided into four main groups: the wealthy white plantation owners, free people of color, poor whites, and the enslaved majority.
• 🗣️ The French Revolution of 1789 sparked unrest in Saint-Domingue, as each social group had grievances, leading to a complex dynamic of discontent.
• ⚔️ Toussaint L'Ouverture, a former slave, led a disciplined slave army to revolt against French rule, playing a pivotal role in the Haitian Revolution.
• 🇫🇷 The French government's decision to free the slaves in Saint-Domingue in 1794 was a turning point in the revolution, leading to a successful slave revolt and the establishment of freedom and citizenship for all slaves in the French Caribbean.
• 🌐 The Haitian Revolution had far-reaching consequences, including the thwarting of Napoleon's plans for a North American empire and indirectly contributing to the United States' acquisition of the Louisiana Territory.

Q & A

What was the significance of the Haitian Revolutions in the context of world history?

The Haitian Revolutions were significant as they resulted in the abolition of slavery and the establishment of Haiti as the first modern nation governed by people of African descent. They also disrupted Napoleon's plans for an American empire.

Why was Saint-Domingue a valuable French colony in the 17th century?

Saint-Domingue was valuable because it became the most productive sugar colony, producing a significant portion of Europe's sugar and coffee, and had a booming trade in tobacco and cotton.

How did the French colony in Saint-Domingue begin?

The French colony in Saint-Domingue began in the 17th century as a pirate outpost where the original French inhabitants made their living selling leather and a kind of smoked beef called boucan.

What role did the Spanish play in the early economy of Saint-Domingue?

The Spanish were the first Europeans to settle the island and left behind cattle, which became a source of beef for the French colony. The beef trade later transitioned into piracy targeting Spanish galleons carrying silver.

What were the living and working conditions like for slaves in Saint-Domingue's sugar plantations?

The conditions were exceptionally brutal, with slaves working in harsh environments that led to high mortality rates and prevented natural population growth.

How did the social structure of Saint-Domingue contribute to the tensions leading up to the Haitian Revolution?

The social structure was divided into four main groups: the Grand Blancs (wealthy white plantation owners), free people of color, poor whites (petit blancs), and slaves. Each group had grievances that contributed to the unrest and eventual revolution.

What was the impact of the French Revolution on the slaves and free people of color in Saint-Domingue?

The French Revolution inspired hope among the slaves and free people of color in Saint-Domingue, as they were influenced by the ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity, leading to increased unrest and eventually the slave revolt.

Who was Toussaint L'Ouverture and what role did he play in the Haitian Revolution?

Toussaint L'Ouverture was a former slave who became a leader during the Haitian Revolution. He helped mold the slaves into a disciplined army and played a key role in the fight for freedom and independence.

Why did Napoleon Bonaparte want to reestablish slavery in Saint-Domingue?

Napoleon wanted to reestablish slavery in Saint-Domingue to maximize profits from the colony, which was crucial for funding his plans to reconstruct France's empire in North America.

What was the outcome of the second phase of the Haitian Revolution, and how did it affect Haiti's status?

The second phase resulted in Haiti's independence from France. On January 1, 1804, Jacques Dessalines declared the island independent and renamed it Haiti, marking it as the first modern nation governed by people of African descent.

How did the Haitian Revolution influence the United States and its territories?

The Haitian Revolution indirectly led to the United States acquiring the Louisiana Territory from France. Napoleon, having given up on his American empire due to the revolution, sold Louisiana to Thomas Jefferson.

Outlines

00:00

🏰 The Origins and Early Struggles of Saint-Domingue

This paragraph introduces the historical background of the French colony in Saint-Domingue, starting as a pirate outpost in the 17th century. It discusses the transition from selling boucan (smoked beef) to engaging in piracy due to a shortage of beef. The French settlers eventually turned to sugar plantations, which led to the island becoming the most valuable colony in the West Indies by 1700, producing a significant portion of Europe's sugar and coffee. The harsh conditions of the sugar plantations resulted in brutal treatment of slaves, preventing natural population growth and leading to the importation of more slaves each year than the entire white population of the island. The paragraph also outlines the social structure of Saint-Domingue, divided into Big White planters, wealthy free people of color, poor whites (petit blancs), and slaves, setting the stage for the upcoming revolution.

05:01

🗝️ The Unrest and Slave Revolt in Saint-Domingue

This paragraph delves into the unrest that led to the Haitian Revolution. It begins with the French Revolution's influence on the island, where different social groups had grievances: slaves against their bondage, free people of color facing legal discrimination, poor whites resenting the privileges of the free people of color, and the Grand Blancs complaining about French trade laws. The paragraph highlights the pivotal moment in 1791 when slaves, inspired by rumors of French emancipation and the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen, started a revolt led by Toussaint L'Ouverture. It also discusses the involvement of foreign powers, such as the Spanish and British, who supported the slave revolts to weaken the French. The French government's decision to free the slaves to avoid losing the war against these forces is also covered, leading to a significant shift in the dynamics of the revolution.

10:02

🌐 The Fight for Independence and the Impact on Napoleon's Empire

This paragraph continues the narrative of the Haitian Revolution, focusing on the fight for independence after the initial abolition of slavery. It describes the leadership of Toussaint L'Ouverture in steering the colony toward independence and maintaining the plantation system for economic reasons. The paragraph then shifts to Napoleon Bonaparte's plans to reestablish French control and reintroduce slavery in Saint-Domingue for financial gain. The arrival of French forces under Charles-Victor-Emmanuel Leclerc led to L'Ouverture's arrest and the subsequent guerrilla war by the former slaves, who were determined to keep their freedom. The paragraph concludes with the significant role of disease, particularly Yellow Fever, in the defeat of the French forces and the ultimate declaration of independence by Haiti, impacting Napoleon's imperial ambitions and contributing to the sale of Louisiana to the United States.

Keywords

💡Haitian Revolution

The Haitian Revolution refers to a series of events that led to the independence of Saint-Domingue from France and the establishment of Haiti, the first black-led republic in the world. It is a central theme of the video as it discusses the revolution's causes, key figures, and impact on history.

💡Slavery

Slavery is the state of being owned by someone and being forced to work without pay. In the context of the video, it highlights the brutal conditions of slaves in Saint-Domingue and their role in the revolution that ultimately led to the abolition of slavery in the colony.

💡Napoleon

Napoleon Bonaparte is a historical figure who is mentioned in the video as having his plans for an American empire thwarted by the Haitian Revolution. His attempt to re-establish slavery in Haiti and the subsequent defeat of French forces is a significant part of the narrative.

💡Saint-Domingue

Saint-Domingue was the French colony on the island of Hispaniola, which became Haiti after the revolution. The video discusses its economic importance as a colony, the social structure, and the transformation it underwent during the revolution.

💡Buccaneers

Buccaneers were pirates or privateers who operated in the Caribbean during the 17th century. The video mentions them as the early inhabitants of Saint-Domingue who transitioned from selling beef to piracy and later to plantation ownership.

💡Sugar Plantations

Sugar plantations were large agricultural estates that played a critical role in the economy of Saint-Domingue. The video explains how these plantations were established by former buccaneers and became a symbol of wealth and exploitation due to the harsh conditions for slaves working there.

💡Toussaint L'Ouverture

Toussaint L'Ouverture was a key leader during the Haitian Revolution. The video describes his role in organizing the slaves into a disciplined army and his tactical decisions that contributed to the success of the revolution.

💡Citizenship

Citizenship in the context of the video refers to the legal status granted by the French National Assembly to free people of color in Saint-Domingue. It was a significant step towards equality, although it was limited and led to further conflict.

💡Petit Blancs

Petit Blancs were the poor white inhabitants of Saint-Domingue. The video discusses their social position, resentment towards the free people of color, and their role in the early stages of the revolution.

💡Emancipation

Emancipation is the act of setting someone free, particularly from slavery. The video details the French government's decree to free the slaves in Saint-Domingue, which was a pivotal moment in the Haitian Revolution and the broader struggle for abolition.

💡Independence

Independence in the video refers to the ultimate goal of the Haitian Revolution, which was to break free from French colonial rule. The declaration of independence by Haiti is highlighted as a significant event in world history.

Highlights

The Haitian Revolutions are often neglected but involve the ending of slavery and Napoleon's setbacks.

The French colony in Saint-Domingue began as a pirate outpost and transitioned to a thriving sugar plantation economy.

Saint-Domingue became the most valuable colony in the West Indies, producing a significant portion of Europe's sugar and coffee.

Slavery in Saint-Domingue was exceptionally brutal, with more slaves imported annually than the entire white population.

Colonial society in Saint-Domingue was divided into four groups, each with distinct roles and grievances.

The French Revolution of 1789 sparked unrest among all social groups in Saint-Domingue, including slaves.

The Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen inspired hope among free people of color and slaves in Haiti.

Toussaint L'Ouverture led a disciplined slave army during the Haitian Revolution, marking a significant turning point.

The French government's decree to free the slaves in Saint-Domingue was ratified by the National Convention in Paris.

L'Ouverture's allegiance to France helped turn the tide of the war and led to the emancipation of slaves in the French Caribbean.

The Haitian Revolution did not end the plantation system but introduced paid labor and prevented the selling of children.

Napoleon Bonaparte's plans to reconstruct the French empire included reintroducing slavery in Saint-Domingue.

The Haitian fight for independence began with the arrest of L'Ouverture and escalated into a guerrilla war against the French.

Disease, particularly Yellow Fever, played a crucial role in the defeat of the French forces in Haiti.

The Haitian Declaration of Independence was a rejection of French colonialism and a statement of refuge for enslaved peoples.

Haiti's revolution is significant as it was the first modern nation governed by people of African descent and challenged the institution of slavery.

The aftermath of the Haitian Revolution included a tragic loss of life but also a stand for the protection of the weak by the Haitian people.

Transcripts

Hi, I’m John Green. This is Crash Course World History. And apparently it’s Revolutions

Month here at Crash Course, because today we are going to discuss the often-neglected

Haitian Revolutions. The Haitian Revolutions are totally fascinating and they involve two

of my very favorite things: 1. Ending slavery, and

2. Napoleon getting his feelings hurt. I can’t help myself, Napoleon. I like to see you suffer.

[theme music]

So, the French colony in Saint-Domingue began in the 17th century as a pirate outpost. And

its original French inhabitants made their living selling leather and a kind of smoked

beef called boucan. All that beef actually came from cattle left behind by the Spanish,

who were the first Europeans to settle the island.

But anyway, after 1640, the boucan-sellers started to run low on beef. And they were

like, “You know what would pay better than selling beef jerky? Robbing Spanish galleons,”

which as you’ll recall were loaded with silver mined from South America. So, by the

middle of the 17th century, the French had convinced many of those buccaneering captains

to give up their pirating and settle on the island.

Many of them invested some of their pirate treasure in sugar plantations, which, by 1700

were thriving at both producing sugar and working people to death. And soon, this island

was the most valuable colony in the West Indies, and possibly in the world. It produced 40%

of Europe’s sugar, 60% of its coffee, and it was home to more slaves than any place except Brazil.

And as you’ll recall from our discussion of Atlantic slavery, being a slave in a sugar-production

colony was exceptionally brutal. In fact, by the late 18th century, more slaves were

imported to Saint-Domingue EVERY YEAR— more than 40,000— than the entire white population

of the island. By the 19th century, slaves made up about 90% of the population.

And most of those slaves were African born, because the brutal living and working conditions

prevented natural population growth. Like, remember Alfred Crosby’s fantastic line,

“it is crudely true that if man’s caloric intake is sufficient, he will somehow stagger

to maturity, and he will reproduce?” Yeah, well, not in 18th century Haiti, thanks to

Yellow Fever and smallpox and just miserable working conditions. So, most of these plantations

were pretty large, they often had more than 200 slaves, and many of the field workers—

in some cases, a majority— were women.

Colonial society in Saint-Domingue was divided into four groups, which had important consequences

for the revolution. At the top, were the Big White planters who owned the plantations and

all the slaves. Often these Grand Blancs were absentee landlords who would just rather stay

in France and let their agents do, you know, the actual brutality.

Below them were the wealthy free people of color. Most of the Frenchmen who came to the

island were, you know, men, and they frequently fathered children with slave women. These

fathers would often free their children. Wasn’t that generous of them. So, by 1789, there

were 24,800 free people of color along with about 30,000 white people in the colony. The

free people of color contributed a lot to the island’s stability. They served in the

militia, and in the local constabulary, and many of the wealthier ones eventually owned

plantations and slaves of their own.

And then, below them on the social ladder were the poor whites, or the petit blancs, who worked

as artisans and laborers. And at the bottom were the slaves who made up the overwhelming majority.

I know what you’re thinking: this is a recipe for permanent social stability. No, it wasn’t.

Okay, so when the French Revolution broke out in 1789, all these groups had something

to complain about. The slaves, obviously, disliked being slaves. The free people of

color were still subject to legal discrimination, no matter how wealthy they became.

And the poor whites, in addition to being poor, were resentful of all the privileges

held by the wealthy people of color. And the Grand Blancs were complaining about French

trade laws and the government’s attempts to slightly improve the living and working

conditions of slaves. Basically they were saying that government shouldn’t be in the

business of regulating business. So everyone was unhappy, but the slaves were by far the worst off.

Mr. Green, Mr. Green! You’re always saying how much slavery sucks, but is it really any

worse than having to work for, like, subsis...

Yeah, I’m gonna stop you right there, Me from the Past, before you further embarrass

yourself. You often hear from people attempting to comprehend the horrors of slavery that

slavery couldn’t have been all that bad, and that it wasn’t that different from working

for minimum wage. And that we know this because if it HAD been so bad, slaves would have just

revolted, which they never did. Yeah. Well, 1. equating slavery to poor working conditions

ignores the fact that if you work at, like, Foxconn, Foxconn doesn’t get to sell your

children to other corporations. And 2. As you are about to see, SLAVES DID REVOLT.

So, the unrest in what became Haiti started in 1789 when some slaves heard a rumor that

the King of France had freed them. Even though it was across the ocean, word of the changes

in France reached the people of Haiti, where The Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen,

while terrifying to planters, gave hope both to free people of color and to slaves.

At the same time, some petit blancs argued that there was inadequate discrimination against

blacks. They identified with the third estate in France, and they called for interest rates

to be lowered so they could more easily pay their debts. And they began lobbying for colonial independence.

The psychology here shows you the extent to which slaves were not considered people. I

mean, these radical petit blancs thought that they were the oppressed people in Saint-Domingue

because they couldn’t afford to own slaves. And they thought if they could become independent

from France, they could take power from the people of privilege and institute a democracy

where everyone had a voice-- except for the 95% of people who weren’t white.

Then in 1791, these radical petit blancs seized the city of Port-au-Prince. You’ll remember

that by 1791, France was at war with most of Europe, and just like with the 7 Years’

War, the wars of Revolutionary France played out in the colonies as well as at home. So

the French government sent troops to Saint-Domingue.

Meanwhile, urges toward liberty, fraternity, and equality were only growing in France,

and it didn’t seem very equitable to grant citizenship based solely on race. So in May

of 1791, the National Assembly gave full French citizenship to all free men of color. I mean,

if they owned property, and had enough money, and weren’t the children of slaves. The

petit blancs weren’t thrilled about this, and that led to fighting breaking out between

them and the newly French free people of color.

And then in August of 1791, the slaves were like, “Um, hi, yes. Screw all of you.”

And a massive slave revolt broke out. Among the leaders of this revolt was Toussaint Breda,

a former slave of full African descent, who later took the name Toussaint L’ouverture. L’Ouverture

helped mold the slaves into a disciplined army that could withstand attacks from the French troops.

But again, the context of the wider revolution proves really important here. So, the Spanish

had consistently supported slave revolts in Saint-Domingue hoping to weaken the French.

But, by 1793 they were offering even more support. In fact, L’Ouverture became an

officer in the Spanish military because the emancipation of the slaves was more important

to him than maintaining his rights as a French Citizen.

So then, in October of 1793 the British, whom as I’m sure you’ll recall were also at

war with France, decided to invade Saint-Domingue. And at that point, the French military commanders

were like, We are definitely going to lose this war if we fight the British, the Spanish,

and the slaves, so let’s free the slaves. So they issued decrees freeing the slaves

and on February 4, 1794 the National Convention in Paris ratified those decrees.

By May, having learned of the Convention’s actions, L’Ouverture switched allegiances

to the French and turned the tide of the war. Thus, the most successful slave revolt in

human history won freedom and citizenship for every slave in the French Caribbean. But

emancipation didn’t end the story because the French were still at war with the Spanish

and the English in Saint-Domingue. Luckily for France, L’Ouverture was an excellent

general, and luckily for the people of the island, L’Ouverture was also an able politician.

And between 1794 and 1802, he successfully steered the colony toward independence.

So, although slavery was abolished, this didn’t end the plantation system because both L’Ouverture

and his compatriot André Rigaud believed that sugar was vital to the economic health

of the island. But now at least people were paid for their labor and their kids couldn’t

be sold. Now you can compare it to Foxconn.

But soon, L’Ouverture and Rigaud came into conflict over Rigaud’s refusal to give up

control over one of the Southern states on the island, and there was a civil war, which

L’Ouverture, with the help of his able lieutenant Jacques Dessalines, was able to win after

13 months of hard fighting. L’Ouverture then passed a new constitution, and things

were going pretty well on Saint-Domingue with the small problem that it was still technically part of

France, which meant that it was about to be ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte. Let’s go to the Thought Bubble.

So, in 1799, Napoleon seized power in France in a coup. And, his new regime, called the

Consulate (because he was the First Consul à la the Roman Republic) established a new

constitution that specifically pointed out its laws did not apply to France’s overseas colonies.

Napoleon had plans to reconstruct France’s empire in North America that it had lost most

of in the 7 Years’ War, and to do this he needed tons of money from France’s most

valuable colony, Saint-Domingue. And the best way to maximize profits? Why, to reintroduce

slavery, of course. That’s certainly what the former slaves thought was the plan when

in 1802, a French expedition commanded by Napoleon’s brother in-law Charles-Victor-Emmanuel

“I-Have-Too-Many-Names” Leclerc showed up in Saint-Domingue.

This started the second phase of the Haitian revolution, the fight for independence. So,

Leclerc eventually had L’Ouverture arrested and shipped to France where he died in prison

in 1803. But this itself did not spark an uprising against the French because L’Ouverture

wasn’t actually that popular, largely because he wanted most blacks on the island to continue to grow sugar.

Instead, the former slaves only started fighting when Leclerc tried to take away their guns,

thus beginning a guerrilla war that the French, despite their superior training and weapons,

had absolutely no chance of winning. Although the French were exceedingly cruel, executing

women as well as men and importing man-eating dogs from Cuba, the Haitians had the best

ally of all: Disease, specifically in the form of Yellow Fever, which killed thousands

of French soldiers, including Leclerc himself. Oh, it’s time for the Open Letter?

Stan! Where is my chair? Stan, you’re telling me the yellow chair has been lost? The yellow

chair is the star of the show. The stars, in order, are 1. me, 2. yellow chair, 3. the

chalkboard, 4. Danica, 5. Meredith the Intern, 6. you, Stan. You’re sixth. Oh, I’m mad.

Let’s see what’s in the secret compartment today. It’s a giant squid of anger!!! I’M

A GIANT SQUID OF ANGER!!!! Oh, no. It broke.

An open letter to disease. Dear disease, why do you always put yourself at the center of human history?

Most of you are just tiny, little single-celled organisms, but you’re so self-important

and self-involved that you’re always interfering with us. Admittedly, sometimes you work for

the good guys, but usually you don’t. It seems like even though you’re constantly

interfering with human history, you don’t even care about it.

I just hate when people, and also microbes, are super self-involved. Like, don’t tell

me you gotta take a day off to go to your mom’s birthday party, Stan. That’s not

imagining me complexly. I’ve got needs over here.

Best wishes, John Green.

So continued defeat and the death of his troops eventually convinced Napoleon to give up his

dreams of an American empire and cut his losses. He recalled his surviving troops, of the 40,000

who left, only 8,000 made it back. And then, he sold Thomas Jefferson Louisiana. And that

is how former slaves in Haiti gave America all of this.

On January 1, 1804, Dessalines who had defeated the French, declared the island of Saint-Domingue

independent and re-named it Haiti, which is what the island had been called by the native

inhabitants before the arrival of Columbus. The Haitian Declaration of Independence was

a rejection of France and, to a certain degree of European racism and colonialism.

It also affirmed, to quote from the book Slave Revolution in the Caribbean, “a broad definition

of the new country as a refuge for enslaved peoples of all kinds.” So, why is this little

island so important that we would devote an entire episode to it? First, Haiti was the

second free and independent nation state in the Americas. It also had one of the most

successful slave revolts ever. Haiti became the first modern nation to be governed by

people of African descent, and they also foiled Napoleon’s attempts to build a big new world empire

Of course, Haiti’s history since its revolution has been marred by tragedy, a legacy of the

loss of life that accompanied the revolution. I mean, 150,000 people died in 1802 and 1803

alone. But the Haitian revolutions matter. They matter because the Haitians, more than

any other people in the age of revolutions, stood up for the idea that none should be

slaves, that the people who most need the protection of a government should be afforded

that protection. Haiti stood up for the weak when the rest of the world failed to.

The next time you read about Haiti’s poverty, remember that.

Thanks for watching. I’ll see you next week.

Crash Course is produced and directed by Stan Muller. Our script supervisor is Danica Johnson.

The show is ably interned by Meredith Danko. And our graphics team is Thought Bubble. Oh,

right, I write it with my high school history teacher Raoul Meyer. Actually, he does most

of the work, who are we kidding.

Last week’s phrase of the week was “fancy footwear.” If you want to guess this week’s

phrase of the week or suggest future ones, you can do so in comments, where you can also

ask questions that will be answered by our team of historians.

Thanks for watching Crash Course, and as we say in my home town, Don't Forget To Be Awesome.