Olivia Pearson

Period 5

AP World History

1/29/10

Haitian Revolution DBQ

The period between 1750 and 1914 approximately, the world was changing as more people began realizing the need for better political and social organization. These people were revolutionists, who sought to revolt against the government and impose new codes and rights for the citizens of society. Revolutions occurred in France, North America, Latin America, and Haiti as well as other European lands. The Haitian revolution was one to be remembered since it was successful in conforming the land into an independent nation by use of slave rebellions. The Haitian revolution broke out while Haiti was being governed by the French. Slave labor was legally enforced, the French saw the blacks and mixed as inferior to them in society, and the French government didn't care about what those inferior to them felt about their authority which enabled the Haitian revolution to take place. The revolution underwent many revolts and reforms against the French as it was influenced by the other revolutions in France and in North America leaving behind a legacy of its own.

The Haitian revolution was provoked because of unjustness toward the people in Haiti and French revolutionary influence. The French government imposed a slave regulation law code, as seen in the first document, that gave landowners guidelines to tend to their slaves. Written by the king himself, it could be considered biased because the king, King Louis XIV, was in fact French and was not a slave or has never been a slave so he does not know how the slaves felt during this time period. The document shows the unfairness of the treatment of the slaves. In the document you can see that the slaves must be Catholic, therefore no freedom of religion. It also shows that only adult slaves were given food weekly, which imposes that the children were not as well fed as others. In addition to that, the document states how emancipated slaves had the same rights as everyone else who was free in French lands. This document altogether can be interpreted through the eyes of the slaves who got little to eat and had no rights because they have not yet been emancipated. Those slaves must have been very angry with the government, and those who became emancipated had the rights to rebel against the government, so they did so. The second document was a French document written by the National Assembly that declared their own rights through the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen. In this document you can see that only men were free and had inalienable rights which included liberty, prosperity, security, and resistance to oppression, sovereignty resided in the people, and that property was an important right that could not be taken away. The French, through this document, provoked the French revolution and the Haitians drew inspiration from this declaration to start their own revolution. The third document simply shows the power and authority the French had over the Haitians. One man, Vincent Oge, attempted to share the French rights to the citizens of Haiti but was captured, tortured, and killed before any of his knowledge could reach anybody else. This was a method of protecting Haiti from any revolts or revolutions, however this event provoked an even greater revolution in Haiti due to anger and possible stress toward the French government.

The revolution began and took shape through an organized army created by Haitians themselves. Document 5 is explaining a voodoo ritual that enabled the Haitians to select somebody to begin the revolution. They selected a man named Baukman who became chief of the Haitian revolution. The ritual itself was important since it shows that even though they were supposed to be Catholic, they continued to preform traditional African religious rituals such as voodoo. As seen in document 4, French army men such as Napoleon purposely tried to “enrage the black majority and provoke an even greater rebellion.” With this said, the Haitians managed to create a stronger army and with that continued the process of revolution. Document 6 shows us an image of actual actions taken against the French. The Haitian army actually managed to capture French soldiers and hung them as a symbol to the Haitians power during this revolution. Document 7 is the actual proclamation of independence in Haiti. This document is not like those of North America or France, it's unique in wording. The point of view of the author of the declaration, Jean Jacques Dessalines, is from a Haitian himself declaring their independence from France and on his mind are the words written in the document; the words that are making them free from their mother country. This proclamation mentions the French themselves as barbarous and inhumane when it came to government. It also proclaims that they would leave France in peace from that moment in, most likely to prevent any future wars. Finally, in document 9 we can see a connection between North America and Haiti during the Haitian revolution. Through this secondary source, the document tells us about Jefferson's reaction to the Haitian revolution. It says he was “terrified of what was happening in Saint Domingue.” Jefferson then closed all communication networks between Haiti and the United States because he wanted nothing to do with their violent revolution. However, he did acknowledge that they had the right to revolt against France and did not argue against that. Looking at this document, we can see the influence the Haitian revolution had on the United States and the Haitian economy as well.

The Haitian revolution at its end left behind a legacy, as did any other revolution. The Haitian revolution was one that was courageous, violent, and memorable, as seen in a poem written by a British author dedicated to the revolutionary leader Toussaint L'Ouverture (document 8). This poem is about the courage of one man, Toussaint, who led the Haitian revolution to its great extent until he died. This man left a lasting impression on other parts of the world, considering the poem was written by a British author who seemed to be respectfully acknowledging the greatness of Toussaint. Also, in document 10, it explains more influence the Haitian revolution had on the rest of the world. The document itself shows that in regions such as Jamaica, the West Indies, and North America, slaves “were partly inspired by the events in Saint Domingue” to rebel against their governments. This document shows the influence and inspiration Haiti had on other regions of the world. An additional document from a Haitian slave would be useful to find out what measures were done and to what extremes did the Haitian army reach in order to rebel against the French. This document will let us know the point of view of somebody within the movement and would also help us infer what other revolutionists in other parts of the world felt as they fought for their independence.

Between the years 1750 and 1914 in approximation, countries such as the United States, France, Latin America and Haiti went through dramatic revolutions against their governments. Of them all, the Haitian revolution was influential as it derived inspiration from other revolutions and the Enlightenment and it also influenced future inspiration for revolutions. The causes for the revolution revolved around the French government, unfairness to society, and maltreatment of slaves. The revolution began as a statement to the Haitian power and continued strongly until they defeated the French and became an independent region while inspiring slave revolts and great influence on other countries.