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Toussaint L'Overture

• Message 1.Β 

  Posted by shivfan (U2435266) on Wednesday, 20th January 2010

  At a time when we're being told in the media how much of a mess Haiti is in because of its history, it's important to remember the outstanding achievements of Toussaint L'Overture....
  
  An educated black slave in the French colony of St Domingue, he emerged as a leader of the Haitian Revolution, and defeated and threw out the French. The British thought that Haiti was a prize that could easily be taken, they sent an army to invade the former slave colony, but they were defeated by Toussaint. In the end, Napoleon had to capture Toussaint by tricking him. But by then he already had some able generals under him, even if they seemed to lack his vision for the country.
  
  When the mighty Napoleon sent his brother-in-law to reconquer Haiti, Dessalines, Christophe and Petion defeated him as well, and Napoleon had no choice but to recognise the independence of Haiti in 1804.
  
  Here's a very brief synopsis of this man's life....
  
  
  
  However, I would strongly recommend CLR James's outstanding work, 'Black Jacobins'.
  

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• Message 2

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by TimTrack (U1730472) on Thursday, 21st January 2010

  An excellent post, Shiv.
  
  Apparently, the French enforced reparations on Haiti for the loss of slaves and land This only ended in 1947.
  
  Liberty, egalite, fraternite, but mostly money.

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• Message 3

  , in reply to message 2.

  Posted by shivfan (U2435266) on Thursday, 21st January 2010

  Exactly, Tim....
  
  It can be argued that these crippling payments demanded by the French was one of the main factors that held back Haiti's development. Also, let's bear in mind that in order to get their freedom, the black slaves had to destroy a lot of institutions in St Domingue. After all, there was no university on the colony, and they now had to find teachers for their schools. Very few slaves were educated, and could therefore provide the kind of leadership needed at that early stage of their development.
  
  Given that countries like France and the US wanted to punish Haiti for staging a successful slave revolt, it's not surprising that they did not make much progress after Toussaint, Dessalines, Christophe and Petion won their country's independence....

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• Message 4

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by White Camry (U2321601) on Thursday, 21st January 2010

  Here's the Wiki on Toussaint L'Overture:
  
  
  
  

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• Message 5

  , in reply to message 4.

  Posted by shivfan (U2435266) on Thursday, 21st January 2010

  Thanks, WC....
  
  It's interesting to see that Alexander Hamilton was a strong friend of Toussaint, but that policy of friendship was reversed when Thomas Jefferson became president. Of course, as we all know, Jefferson was a slave-owner, and had his own plantation in the US, and obviously feared any effect an independent Haiti might have on his own slaves.

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