· The Haitian Revolution eliminated the reasoning of gradual abolitionism and the justifications for providing compensation to slaveholders. This prominent revolution created a new and unique nation that adopted a tradition of protest, particularly amongst African Americans. The tradition of protest originated from the Age of Revolution, which was strengthened and militarised by the revolution Estimated Reading Time: 11 mins The Haitian Revolution Essay. The cause and effects of the Haitian Revolution have played, and continue to play, a major role in the history of the Caribbean. During the time of this rebellion, slavery was a large institution throughout the Caribbean. The success of the sugar and other plantations was based on the large slave labor forces However, circumstances in the Haitian society such as the ill treatment of slaves, social hierarchy and the French revolution, made the revolution inevitable by (Rand, 1). Get Help With Your Essay If you need assistance with writing your essay, our professional essay writing service is here to help!
The Haitian Revolution essay Essay — Free college essays
During the Haitian revolution, the series of issues that unfolded in St. Domingue were unprecedented and completely new, and followed the American revolution of and French revolution ofa third great revolution that had devastating implications on the countries still under the link of colonialism and slavery. The revolt began in from black haitian revolution essay in island of Hispaniola, haitian revolution essay. Their revolution was against the French owners of plantations and slavery, although the revolution later became political lasting more than 12 years, and resulting into independence from colonization by France, haitian revolution essay.
By the end of the revolution, complete destruction had been done to the plantation system, the institution of slavery, and domination by the white population. Consequently, Haiti became the first black republic to gain independence.
On the eve of the Haitian revolution, St. Domingue, was the most prosperous French occupation, accounting for more than 70 per cent of all French possession a broad. France highly depended on St. Domingue, with one in every eight French citizen depending on St.
Domingue directly or indirectly for their survival. Every year, more that boats loaded with indigo, sugar and coffee departed St, haitian revolution essay. Between andclose toslave workers were imported form Africa, with more that 50, slaves imported in alone. This demonstrates that the slave trade was in full force and implacable in St. By the end of the 18 th century, St. Domingue was the richest French colony in the west.
Based on forced labor from African slaves and with extensive sugar and coffee systems, St. Domingue was the wealthiest island of all the European colonies in the Caribbean region. A lively trade developed between St. Domingue and North America; merchants from England supplied the island with horses, food and equipment in exchange for sugar processing by-products such as molasses which was converted into rum, haitian revolution essay.
As at haitian revolution essay population of St. Domingue consisted of about 28, mulattoes and free blacks, 40, whites andblack slaves. The small population of the whites was divided between the upper class, haitian revolution essay, made up of about 10, aristocrats, and about 30, middle class composed of artisans, solders and haitian revolution essay keepers James, The island was protected by 13, military men who served to protect the island from revolt and prevent sabotage to the sugar plantation and factories.
Theses classes of population had nothing in common between then. Allied to the middle and first haitian revolution essay whites were the mulattoes offspring of elite whites and black womenwho wanted to share in the privileges of the whites, haitian revolution essay.
However, the mulattoes did not find it easy; they faced racial discrimination due to their parental background. In turn, the mulattoes despised the black slaves, same as the whites. To maintain divisions between the whites and blacks, the Black Code was instituted in preventing people from crossing racial boundaries, enforcing strict relations among the free racial groups.
Bythe slave population in the vast Caribbean island totaled to more thanMost of the slaves were of African descent. At the time, the death rate exceeded the birth rates, and as such the importation of slaves from Africa continued. Annual decline in slave population was due to the imbalance between the sexes of the slaves: more men than women; and overwork; inadequate medical care, food, clothing and shelter.
Some slaves worked for the elite class in the urban areas as personal servants, cooks and laborers around the houses in the plantations. This class of relatively privileged slaves was mainly of American descent, while the Africa-born, under-class slaves worked under abusive conditions in the plantations. The region of Plane du Nord on the north shores of St. Domingue was the largest and most fertile of the sugar plantations.
The region was economically important, particularly because most French trade went through the ports in that region. Le Haitian revolution essay Francias was the capital of the French St. Domingue and the busiest port. Due to the economical importance of this region it was occupied by the rich upper-class white colonist, who wanted economical monopoly of the region.
Consequently the region was exclusively dominated by the upper-class whites while the middle class whites were scattered in other regions of St, haitian revolution essay. Of the close to 40, whites who lived in St.
Domingue, French-born European whites monopolized all administrative posts. The grand Blancs and the sugar planters were mainly considered as minor aristocrats, haitian revolution essay. Most of these administrators moved back to France as shortly as possible, hopping to escape yellow, a popular fatal disease at the time James, The lower-class whites petits blancs composed the slave leaders, shopkeepers and overseers.
Domingue was also polarized by rival tension between the west, south and north. Northern St. Domingue was the centre for trading and shipping, and therefore was occupied by elite French population. The southern region of St. Domingue lagged behind in wealth and development, being geographically detached from other parts of the colony. However, this isolation of the western region allowed trade between freed blacks and Jamaica to flourish, allowing blacks to gain wealth and power in this region.
The western region grew significantly in wealth, haitian revolution essay, particularly after the haitian revolution essay was moved to Port-au-Prince. This made the region haitian revolution essay become increasingly wealthy, particularly in the second half of the 18 th century.
Besides, there were always regional tensions between allies of Great Britain who changed the colony of St. Domingue and the proponent of independence loyal to Spain and France Geggus and Fiering, While the upper-class whites enjoyed luxury and life indulgence in northern St.
Domingue, middle class whites lived in less luxurious conditions in the west, and the blacks existed harshly in the southern parts. The blacks spent long hours laboring in St.
Most of the black populations died form starvation and overwork. Although the blacks were protected by laws from torture and physical abuse, haitian revolution essay, the reality was that the slaves could be killed, mutilated or tortured by their owners. And since most slaves were not born in slavery, being imported from Africa where they lived in freedom, adapting to slavery conditions was not easy to them. The African slaved also carried and practiced their culture and religion, even though it was illegalized by the colony.
Their religion, known as Voodoo, gave the rallying point to fight for their rights, haitian revolution essay. Black slaves had been seeking to escape and run away from their owners ever since they arrived in St. Most of them were waiting for an auspicious moment to put the end to slavery and organize a popular uprising.
In ,with the dominant whites split into two and with the mulattoes fighting for equality, the back slaves staged a general rebellion against their owners, destroying crops and plantations and killing whites. Byslave revolts in St. Domingue had transformed into a full-scale civil revolution. Looking for support from the black slaves to defeat the upper-class whites, revolutionary white French officials got rid of slavery in St.
While fierce fighting continued between t various social groups, Britain and Spain sent forces to capture the territory. Earlier accounts of black slave revolt took advantage haitian revolution essay the element of surprise. In order to counteract rebellion the colonies requested for assistance from France. Colonists who fled St.
Domingue and sought refuge in other areas such as Philadelphia spread the news haitian revolution essay barbarism and brutality was widespread in St. Domingue and believed that it was important plans for gradual abolitions of slavery was needed. Other slave powers such as England, Portugal, the United States Holland and Spain wanted to make sure that such rebellions do not happen to them, haitian revolution essay. While it is not clear what caused the Haitian Revolution, most reports believe that the Society of Friends of Blacks greatly influenced the revolution, haitian revolution essay.
Other believes that the idea of revolution was already in the minds of most slaves given the lessons from the French Revolution Kraft, Perhaps the prominent factor that ignited revolution was the conditions of life which the slaves forced to live.
The Code Noir, for example, demanded inviolable obedience from slaves to their owners and regulated their daily activities James, Domingue turned into a killing field, where human lives were sacrificed for profit. The condition for labor was so brutal that most of the slaves died within two years of their arrival, haitian revolution essay. In addition the slaves seldom reproduce, women slaves often aborted to prevent their potential children form being born in slavery Kraft, This mead tat the white masters had to continually replenish their supply of new slaves.
Prior to the revolution inmore that three quarters of slaves in St. Domingue were of African descent and experienced minimal freedom in the last ten years of their lives. Besides, the Code Noir did not permit slaves to lodge any complains against their owners. Most slaves died of harsh working conditions or starvation, women slaves lived in constant fear and were brutally treated and continually raped by their masters.
And because the state of slavery meant that they were properties of their owners, the owners could do anything they please, including rape James, Slaves worked under these conditions, with the permanent fear of whip haitian revolution essay the overseers. Slaves who attempted haitian revolution essay escape automatically became fugitives and were subjected to several tortures mutilations, feet chained, arms hacked offand most tortures ended in death of slaves.
Basically, the daily lives of slaves were same as the experiences in concentration camps. It is easy to understand why the affair for an insurrection was sought out for and waited with a lot of patience.
Black slaves and white masters constantly engaged in violent conflicts. Most of these conflicts haitian revolution essay around slaves escaping form the plantations. Most of these escapees lived off what they could steal from the plantations. Most runaway slaves lived in the woods far way from their masters.
The Haitian Revolution Explained in 6 MINUTES - Interesting Facts You Didn’t Know!!
, time: 6:34The Haitian Revolution
· The French Revolution was an internal rebellion with the rise of the peasants and middle classes that fought to overthrow the monarch government, whereas the Haitian Revolution was a slave rebellion that revolted against an external threat, the French colonial government. The French Revolution occurred in and did not end until · The Haitian revolution had started for several reasons the collapse of the French monarchy, the existence of a large mixed race-class and the extreme conditions in St blogger.com revolution led to the complete abolition of slavery in St Domingue. It brought about the emergence of some influential leaders such as Toussaint L’ouverture a domestic slave who became a steward of all the livestock on · The Haitian Revolution eliminated the reasoning of gradual abolitionism and the justifications for providing compensation to slaveholders. This prominent revolution created a new and unique nation that adopted a tradition of protest, particularly amongst African Americans. The tradition of protest originated from the Age of Revolution, which was strengthened and militarised by the revolution Estimated Reading Time: 11 mins
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