Haitian+Revolution

//Haitian Revolution// [|History of the Disaster in Saint-Domingue] **History of the Disaster in Saint Domingue Mark Up Summary** The document //The History of the Disasters in Saint Domingue// describes a sort of massacre that occurred in Le Cap. Le Cap is a Hispaniola city in Haiti. In this document, Michel Etienne Descourtilz is creating an account of what happened on August 23, 1791. On that day, a mob of people killed innocent people for a cause, I think, wasn't worth it. This mob of people killed women, children and elderly. If not, the elderly were spared and the women were put through a fate much worth than death. The mob made their message clear to all people through the killings. If not, they did it through religious ways as well. Along with the massacre, they burned churches and buildings. The churches that were destroyed were 8 of the most important on the land and thus, this put every person to their knees. This reminded me a lot of the Storming of the Bastille in the French Revolution. Although many had met their end, this would only prove to be the beginning.

[|The Declaration of the Rights of Man] **The Declaration of the Rights of Man Summary** The //Declarations of the Rights of Man// is a document which states the natural and deserved rights of men. However, this document is only referring to certain types of people. These people being white, 25 years of age, and French. To anyone not in the French colonies or France itself or is not white or not at least 25, these laws do not apply to them. The fact of the matter is that as much as this document tries to explain all the natural rights of man, it is kind of second guessing itself with every corner. The other natural rights of man state the 3 major ones. France at the time of the revolution took the ideas of these rights from the American Declaration of Independence and none other than Thomas Jefferson. The ideas were shared and this spread the idea of democracy and such. There are many similarities between this and our own declaration of rights. This is where France and America share the ideas.

**Summary of Haitian Revolution** Saint Domingue was a Latin American territory that wanted to break off all ties with France. Saint Domingue wasn't just a regular territory. This territory was a major exporter of sugar and this made them one of the most valuable territories of France. One of the things that France did to anger the colonists in Saint Domingue was the creation of the Declaration of the Rights of Man. As "happy" as this sounds, this did nothing but give rights to the free people of the land and nothing to do with the African American slaves. A revolt was led and this started the Haitian Revolution. The fight between the Saint Domingue residents and Napoleon's French soldiers continued on for a few years. The man that led the revolution was Toussaint L'Ouverture. This man was considered a hero in the eyes of the Saint Domingue people but considered a threat to Napoleon. Soon, France concocted a plan that would "end" the revolution. This would prove to be disastrous for L'Ouverture because he would die in prison for going along with their plan. However, his death would not end the revolution. Saint Domingue declared their independence from France in 1804 and became Haiti.

**FUN FACT!** The name Haiti comes from the Taino word for the entire island of Hispaniola, Ayiti, which means mountainous land. Ayiti was the indigenous word for the island.