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History of Haiti
ColumbusArrived in New World—1492Established base in
Hispaniola Discovered gold
Spanish SettlersRushed to HispaniolaForced Indians to mine gold
and raise foodBy 1530 only few hundred
Indians survived because of harsh treatment
Brought in slaves from Africa
Spanish Settlers Left for more prosperous colonies By 1606 so few left that Spanish
king ordered those remaining to move closer to main city (Santo Domingo)
Hispaniola, 1606 (Dutch
map)
French, English, & Dutch Settled N & W areas of island Many became pirates
–Attacked Spanish gold/silver shipments
Spain tried, unsuccessfully, to drive them out– In 1697, Spain recognized French control of W 1/3 of island
Renamed St. Dominique
French colonists brought African slaves
Developed large coffee & spice plantations
By 1788, 8 times more slaves (500,000) than
colonists
Toussaint’s Background
Birth ?—1743 to 1746Plantation on St. Dominique
Personal servant to humane man–Opportunity to learn
Toussaint’s Family Eldest of 8 children Father had been African chief Parents & grandfather taught
him:–History–Languages–Philosophy
–Math –Family traditions–Christian faith
Struggle for Haitian Independence
1789-1804
1789French RevolutionNational Assembly issued
Declaration of the Rights of Man –Free people of color in St. Dominique did not get promised citizenship
1790March 8National Assembly
–Voted to allow colonial whites to determine Haiti’s political life
–People of color could not vote
1791May 15National Assembly gave all free
men of color (with 2 free parents) full rights
Forced white colonists to consider separation from France
1791Aug. 22-23Slave revolt due to brutal slave
system–Toussaint helped his master’s family escape
St. Dominique whites decided to fight for freedom from France
1791Toussaint joined fight
–Doctor for St. Dominique army
–Eventually a leader (knowledge based on reading works by Caesar & others)
1791Sept. 24Assembly revoked May 15th
decree (rights to free men of color)
1792March 28Assembly reversed again
–All free men of color got full citizen rights
1792April 4Louis XVI signed May 15th
decree
1793February 1France declared war on BritainToussaint supported Spanish
–Spanish king would be secure–French republic too insecure
1793AugustNational Convention abolished
slavery in St. DominiqueBy year’s end, Toussaint had
conquered north-central St. Dominique for Spain
1793
Spain and Britain –Encouraged slaves to get freedom from the French
–May have had informal arrangement to divide colony
1794February 4France abolished slavery in
colonies
1794May 6Toussaint abandoned Spanish
–Spanish showed no signs of keeping word on freeing slaves
–British had reinstated slavery –If freedom was his goal, he had no choice…support the French
1794He joined French on
promise of freedom –Helped his family flee beforehand
–Became brigadier generalTide then swung in favor of
French
1794 July 22Peace agreement between
France and Spain
1795Treaty of Basel
–Spain ceded holdings to France–Ceased hostilities
Blacks who had remained loyal to Spanish flocked to Toussaint’s army
1796March 30Toussaint rescued French
commander from Mulatto-led effort to depose him–Made lieutenant governor of St. Dominique
1797 French Convention made
Toussaint commander-in-chief He resolved to establish
autonomous black state–Expelled French commissioner–Made agreement with Britain to end hostilities
–Sought loyalty of Mulattos
1799After defeat of Spanish &
British, he moved toward independence from France
Wanted to be on equal footing with France and other major powers
1799War of the CastesFrench sought Mulatto
support to retain dominion over colony
Toussaint’s army fought Mulattos
1799 Asked US President John Adams
for help–Adams wanted the arrangement–US young, insecure nation
The agreement…–Adams sent arms and ships–Toussaint would stop French from using island as base
1799French & US Revolutions
inspired him –Some officers had fought with French army in US War for Ind.
French governor gave him nickname L’Ouverture (break through enemy lines)
1799 Jefferson
–Referred to Toussaint’s army as cannibals
–As President, reversed Adams’ St. Dominique policies
1799Nov. 9—Napoleon came to
powerWanted:
–Toussaint out–To reestablish slavery
1800May Toussaint became military
dictator (efficiency)Worked on restoring order &
productivity
1800Needed export-oriented
economyRe-imposed plantation system
–Utilized non-slaves–Basically relied on forced labor
1800Oct. 1Secret treaty of San
IldefonsoSpain ceded Louisiana to
France
1801Colonial Assembly approved
constitution–Toussaint became Governor-General-For-Life
He “liberates” St. Dominique–Never formally severs bond with France
1801Constitution gave Napoleon
reason for sending French troops–French colony acting as independent state
Worried slave-holding nations (Britain & US)
1801Napoleon saw St. Dominique
as essential to French exploitation of New World
Napoleon is weakened–Toussaint drained resources of the colony
1802 January Napoleon sent troops to re-
enslave Blacks of St. Dominique–Aided by Mulattos & Whites
Two of Toussaint’s lieutenants transferred their allegiance to French
1802May 5Toussaint, recognizing his
weak position, surrenderedFrench assured him that he
could retire quietly
1802 JuneToussaint taken to FranceForbade his soldiers from
retaliating against French prisoners
1802
French commander, Rochambeau, retreated–Mutilated black prisoners and left them to die slowly
1802Toussaint’s troops had
French prisoners hanged within sight of
French army
1802US newspapers covered uprisings
with Toussaint as black Napoleon –Intensified US slaveholders’ fear of US slave revolt
Inspired British (on verge of abolishing slave trade) to keep it
1802Other Blacks who had sided
with French now turned against them because of:–Betrayal of Toussaint–Napoleon’s restoration of slavery in Martinique
1803April 7Died of neglect in a jail in
the Alps
1803 April 30 Louisiana Purchase
–Napoleon needed money to fight British (began to consider sale on April 10)
–Revolution in St. Dominique crushed hope of American empire
1803May 12Britain declared war on
France –Aided Haitian rebels–Gave French someone to surrender to other than Blacks
1803November French commander in St.
Dominique surrendered to British –Never had gotten enough reinforcements and supplies
1804 January 1 Toussaint’s successor (one of his
lieutenants) declared St. Dominique the independent country of Haiti
Jean Jacques Dessalines became Haiti's first emperor in 1804– Gave it Arawak name Haiti– World's first independent black
republic
1822—After Dominican Republic gains independence from Haiti