Why was the Haitian Slave Revolution significant, and why was it forgotten? By: Jaya Emery The Haitian Slave Revolution lasted from the 21st August 1791 to the 1st January 1804 and marked a remarkable turning point in history. Not only was it the first ever successful slave revolt, but Haiti was also the first Caribbean colony to successfully declare independence from a European power. So why is this key event in history not widespread knowledge today? This question can be explored by looking at the history of the uprising, and how that led to Western society systematically downplaying its importance in the making of the modern world.
Haiti, or Saint Domingue as it was known as at the time, was a French colony and the richest in the world. Its wealth came from slave plantations which deported cotton, sugar, indigo, coffee and tobacco produced by a slave population of about 500,000. Inspired by French Enlightenment thought, in particular the Declaration of the Rights of Man, which stated that “all men are born and remain free and equal in rights'', revolts started in Haiti led by free people of colour, Petit Blancs, and slaves. White plantation owners were worried about the effects that this declaration would have on their income which depended upon slaves, while free people of colour revolted against the white plantation owners. This was due to the fact that white plantation owners did not want them to have equal rights as they were descended from slaves. Meanwhile, the Petit Blancs, who were poorer white people, revolted as they were against the idea of the richer free people of colour exceeding their rights. All of three of these social classes however were challenged by the slaves’ uprising, which ultimately succeeded by February 1974 when slavery was formally abolished by the French government and General Toussaint Louverture declared himself leader of the island. The conflict restarted in 1802 when Napoleon tried to take back control of Haiti and reintroduce slavery, but by 1804 French forces had been defeated and Haiti was declared an independent country. This had an immense impact not only on the Western countries that had lost in Haiti, but was also crucial as it hastened the demise of slavery. This was because the West was now far more fearful of the consequences of slavery, and aware that the events of Haiti could be inspire other colonies to seek freedom.
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