Origins
This 1685 French decree regulated the life, death, and "discipline" of enslaved people in the colonies.
What is the Code Noir?
Often called the "Black Napoleon," this former coachman rose to become the primary leader of the revolution.
Who is Toussaint Louverture?
This 1791 religious ceremony is widely considered the "spark" that began the revolution.
What is the Ceremony at Bois Caïman?
The execution of King Louis XVI relative to the start of the Haitian Revolution in 1791.
What is After? (Louis XVI was executed in 1793).
This was the primary crop produced in Saint-Domingue, often called "White Gold."
What is sugar?
Before the revolution, Haiti was known by this French name and was the wealthiest colony in the world.
What is Saint-Domingue?
He was Louverture’s lieutenant and the man who eventually declared Haiti’s independence in 1804.
Who is Jean-Jacques Dessalines?
Faced with the threat of British and Spanish invasion, the French National Convention took this radical step in 1794.
What is the abolition of slavery?
The Louisiana Purchase relative to the Haitian defeat of Napoleon’s army.
What is After? (Napoleon sold Louisiana in 1803 because he lost Haiti).
Haiti was the first nation in the world to be founded by former slaves and the second republic in this hemisphere.
What is the Western Hemisphere?
This 1789 document from the French Revolution sparked hope for the "Gens de Couleur" by declaring all men free and equal.
What is the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen?
This Vodou priest led the 1791 slave uprising after a famous ceremony at Bois Caïman.
Who is Dutty Boukman?
This 1803 battle was the final major conflict where Haitian forces decisively defeated the French army.
What is the Battle of Vertières?
The United States’ Declaration of Independence relative to the Haitian Revolution.
What is Before? (1776 vs 1791).
This disease killed more French soldiers than the Haitian rebels did during the 1802 expedition.
What is Yellow Fever?
This social class, whose name translates to "big whites," consisted of wealthy plantation owners who wanted self-rule from France.
Who are the Grands Blancs?
This French leader sent a massive expeditionary force in 1802 to restore slavery and capture Louverture.
Who is Napoleon Bonaparte?
In 1801, Louverture issued this document, which named him Governor-General for life and abolished slavery forever on the island.
What is the Constitution of 1801?
The capture of Toussaint Louverture relative to the Battle of Vertières.
What is Before? (Louverture was captured in 1802; Vertières was in 1803).
The name "Haiti" was restored by Dessalines in 1804; it comes from the indigenous Taíno word meaning this.
What is "Land of Mountains"?
This traditional African religious practice provided a cultural bond and a medium for secret communication among the enslaved.
What is Vodou (Voodoo)?
A free man of color, he led a failed 1790 rebellion for voting rights but was executed on the wheel by French authorities.
Who is Vincent Ogé?
This "scorched earth" tactic was used by Haitian generals to deny the French army supplies and shelter.
What is burning the plantations/cities?
The French Revolution relative to the rebellion of Vincent Ogé.
What is After? (The French Revolution began in 1789; Ogé rebelled in 1790).
In 1825, Haiti was forced to pay a massive "independence debt" to this country in exchange for official recognition.
What is France?