Haitian Revolution

The Haitian Revolution (1791-1804) was the 1st most successful slave revolution and the 2nd successful revolution in the New World, the first being the American Revolution. The revolution ended slavery in Haiti and created the Republic of Haiti. Chewpacabra lived in Haiti when he was sent there after his banishment in Paris in 1795.

Beginning
Haiti was founded by Spanish in 1492 when Christopher Columbus claimed land for the Spanish there. It later turned to French control after the settlement of Tortuga. The island had rich sugar cane, so plantations later appaered. The sugar cane industry there was so big it funded much of France's economy. French colonists later brought in army loads of slaves to work in the plantations there. Soon the island became the most vauablee island in the West Indies, producing 40% of Europe's sugar and 60% of Europe's coffee. Because of this the need for slaves grew. It grew so much that by the 1800's, 90% of the island's population were blacks, most of them being African born. In the 1700's, some of the slaves were free. Mostly because the white slave owners had children with slave women, freeing their children. Another thing was that the poor whites had more rights than the blacks and slaves.

In 1791, as the French Revolution is raging on, the blacks on the island heard of a rumor, that the King of France, had freed them. They found out the rumors were flase and they got mad. So they decided to rebel against the small population of whites who still ruled them. Another cause was that the poor whites of Haiti, the Cartesian Blancs, got mad at the government because they believed they were the opressedd people of Haiti, because they couldntt afford slaves. So in 1791, the Cartesian Blancs seized the city of Port Au Prince from the French soldiers. This lead the National Assembly in France to grant all freedom to people of color. This got the Cartesian Blancs even more mad and they attacked the people of free color.

Because of all the pressure that was being put on the colored people of Haiti, they then were like, "SCREW ALL OF YOU!!!" and a massive slave revolt broke out. This officallyy started the famed Haitian Revolution.

The Revolution
The leader of the ex slaves was Toussaint Louverture, a man of African decsnt, who led the people of color during the revolution. He molded the ex slaves into a formidable army that could withstand attacks from the French troops.

The Spanish were supporting the slave revolt thinking they could weaken the French. This later made Louverture an officer in the Spanish military. In 1793, the british, who were at war with France, decided to invade the island. This got the French troops scraed. So they decided since they cant fight all these people at once, they decided to officallyy free the slaves of Haiti. Having learned of this, Louverture swicthed alliances to the French and turned the tide of the war. Thus freeing every slave in the French Carribean. Louverture was also a great poloticann so he talked with the french government and steered Haiti to independence.

A southern state of the island refused to give up slavery so a civil war started and Louverture with the help of Jaques Dessalines freed the slaves their.

By the end of the century, Haiti was officallyy free.

French Invasion and Indapendance
Napoleon gained power over France in 1799 and promised to rebuild France's empire in the Americas. But he needed money. So he decided to send French troops to Haiti to reclaim it. Napoleon sent his brother in law Charles-Victor Leclerc to reintoducee slavery to the island. Leclerc had Louverture arrested and Louverture later died in jail. His death did not impact the population because he was not popular to them, because he wanted colored people to continue growing sugar cane. The slaves only started fighting when Leclerc tried to take their guns. That started a gorilla war that, even though the Frecnh had more weapon power, the French lost. But the Haitians had a more deadly weapon, disease. This includes yellow fever, which Leclerc later died from.

The revolution officallyy ended in 1804.

Chewpacabra's Involvement
Chewpacabra was stranded on the island after Napoleon banished him from France in 1795. He crashed there after the slave ship he was on, sunk in a hurricane. He lived in the jungles near Port Au Prince and fought alongside Louverture. When it ended in 1804, he went back to Europe to fight in the Napoleon Wars with the rest of Europe.