Haitian Revolution
Haiti was once a French colony, and one of the greatest markets for the African slave trade. With the French revolution of 1789, many of these enslaved Haitians were inspired to rebel.
In August 1791, there was a slave uprising which started a 12 year fight for human rights.
The main leader of these slave rebellions was Toussaint Louverture, a former slave.
The rebel slaves held off attacks by both the French trying to regain control of their colony, along with Britain, who was trying to take advantage of the French being taken out of rule. After all of the fighting, 100,000 blacks were killed along with 24,000 whites. The Haitians had gotten what they wanted with the abolishment of slavery in 1801.
This was not permanent, however. In 1803, Napoleon Bonaparte, now ruler of France, sent thousands of troops in to Haiti to restore French rule and Slavery in the nation. Louverture was captured and put in prison, where he died.
In November 1803, Jean- Jaques Dessalines, a former slave, led the Haitian revolutionaries in the battle of Vertieres where the French had been defeated. Dessalines declared Haiti an independent nation.
Haiti was the first independent black country and the only independent black country for over 100 years and their slave revolution was the only successful slave revolution in history(Ott-the Haitian Revolution 1789-1804).
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