Which country of the new world abolished slavery first? Many would say the United States, but infact, it is actually the small island nation of Haiti. Haiti is located on the small island of Hispaniola. Until 1804, the island of Hispaniola had been two colonies controlled by the French and the Spanish. these two colonies were prized for the massive amounts of sugar and coffee produced. The French colony, named Saint Domingue at the time, employed mass slavery to reach their sugar producing quotas. In 1781, The Haitians, influenced by the revolutions occurring overseas, decided to revolt in hopes of abolishing slavery. At the vanguard of the Revolution was Toussaint Louverture, who rose up through the ranks and became one of the most prominent generals of the Haitian Revolutions. Ironically, just before Haiti was declared an independent nation, Toussaint Louverture was captured and killed. How should we remember Toussaint Louverture. Louverture was by many haitians as the liberator of slaves. He lead the Haitians though victory after victory, and he was one of the founding fathers of Haiti. Toussaint Louverture is remembered as the liberator of slaves, brilliant military general, and a draconian founding father of the country of Haiti.
One of renown of Toussaint Louverture’s attainments is being the liberator of slaves. Toussaint Louverture started his rise to power fighting against the slave jailers. Through out his military career, Toussaint Louverture seemed to always be fighting for the abolition of slavery. When he started his rebellion, he fought against France who still supported slavery. When France abolished slavery, Toussaint Louverture immediately switched back to the French. When Napoleon seemed like he would reinstate slavery, Toussaint Louverture fought against him. In a letter Louverture sent to the French Directory, he writes, “Could men who have once enjoyed the benefits of liberty look calmly while it is taken from them? They bore their chains when they knew no conditions of life better than that of slavery…” (Doc. B) Throughout Toussaint Louverture’s military career, Louverture fought nearly all of the European superpowers to ensure that slavery would have no place in Haiti. In the Saint Domingue Constitution of 1801, it supports, “There cannot exist slaves in the territory, servitude is therein forever abolished. All men are born, live and die free and French.” Because of Toussaint Louverture’s obsession towards abolishing slavery, Toussaint Louverture should be memorialized as a champion of abolition.
Toussaint Louverture’s other well known characteristics was being a brilliant strategist. When Toussaint Louverture finally finished his military career, he had defeated almost all of the European superpowers, and crippled the dreams of an ambitious general. He conquered almost all of the island of Hispaniola. In Document A, which is a timeline of the Haitian revolution, it proclaims, “As a military commander, Toussaint gains the reputation for running an orderly camo and training his men in both guerrilla tactics and the European shoulder to shoulder style of war.” Also written in The Black Man, His Anecdotes, His Genius, His Achievements, “the rapidity with which he traveled from post to post astonished everyone. By his genius and suppressing activity, Toussaint levied fresh forces, raised the reputation of the army and drove out the english and the spanish from the island...” With Toussaint Louverture obviously being a competent general, Haiti was guaranteed to abolish slavery and declare its independence. Toussaint Louverture, though hated by his enemies, should be remembered as the military genius who granted independence to Haiti.
The last and most infamous way that Toussaint Louverture should be remembered is as the iron fisted dictator of early Haiti. During his reign over Haiti, multiple rebellions broke out under him, protesting the privileges of the rich.However, Toussaint Louverture smashed all of these rebellions which an iron fist. He executed thousands of rebels and his own cousin for taking part in the rebellion. In Toussaint Louverture: a Biography, an excerpt states,” ...Toussaint was so enraged that when he passed through the rebel zone he ordered the mutineer regiments on parade and summoned men to step out of rank and blow their own brains out…” As a unsparing dictator, Toussaint Louverture certainly didn't have any empathy for his foes. Even when governing his own land Toussaint Louverture was very strict on work policy, “ As soon as a child can walk, he should be employed on the plantation according to his strength in some work…” (Toussaint Louverture, Proclamation, 25 November 1801). t The last way Toussaint Louverture should be remembered, is as the infamous, draconian dictator of Haiti.
Despite having a mixed record over Haiti, Toussaint Louverture was a very prominent man. He introduced Abolitionism to the New World, where something like that idea was popsterous. He crushed the armies of Europe when they threatened Haiti, and may have indirectly given the U.S.the Louisiana territories. Lastly, Many of the people he ruled were vexed at him for his unpopular economic reforms. Nevertheless, Toussaint Louverture was a chief image in history for bringing ideas of abolition to the New world, creating the second independent nation in the Americas, and conceiving the first “truly free” nation, that gave “rights” to “people” of all color.
Documents:
Document A: Timeline created from various sources.
Document B: Toussaint Louverture, "Proclamation, 25 November 1801."
Document C: The Saint Domingue Constitution of 1801. Signed by Toussaint Louverture in July 1801.
Document D: Toussaint Louverture, "Letter to the French Directory, November 1797."
Document E: Madison Smartt Bell, Toussaint Louverture: A Biography, 2007.
Document F: William Wells Brown, "A Description of Toussaint Louverture"
