and why was it forgotten?

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.

So why, in spite of the immense historical significance of this event, is it not commonly known or taught in schools? This could be explained by the fact that Britain, France and Spain lost in Haiti despite having more militarily advanced armies, and therefore wished for the expunction of this embarrassing subject from public knowledge. This argument wears thin however, considering that it is not just these three countries that ignore the revolt, but the whole of the Western hemisphere. The reason why this is the case does not have a clear, obvious answer, but it could point to racist attitudes inside the government institutions which control what is studied by the public. Racism towards people of colour meant that, in centuries following the revolution, people would have struggled to believe that the revolution could have succeeded simply due to the strength and determination of the oppressed classes, and instead would have dismissed the failure of the West in Haiti as down to other factors such as disease and differing climates. This dismissal of events would have led to under exaggeration from the West regarding the overall significance of the Revolution, and this therefore would have enabled it to be forgotten in the West. In recent years however, as more conversation is being generated about the lack of Black History on school syllabuses, it is hopeful that the Haitian Slave Revolt can once again be remembered as a momentous event that accelerated the end of slavery in all French colonies.

Haiti today is a country that is defined by the legacy of the 1791 revolution, due to the long lasting consequences of the event. In 1825, France, who had not yet given up hope of regaining their former territory, demanded that Haiti pay 180 million Francs in reparations or face another war. Reparations of this size were justified by France as being a payment that Haiti had to make to the slave owners, who had lost their revenue as a result of the revolution. This amount was more than ten times over Haiti’s yearly budget, and took over 120 years to be paid off, with amounts as much as 80% of Haiti’s income spent annually. Therefore, for 120 years the majority of Haiti’s funds were used solely to pay off unjust reparations, which led to the underdevelopment and under expansion of the country’s industries at a time where there was accelerated growth and industrial revolutions occurring across the West. As a result, Haiti transitioned from a wealthy country with positive future prospects to a country crippled by debt, and, as a result of natural disasters and political instability, has never been able to recover.