World History 173: The Age of Revolution
Artifacts
Toussaint Louverture by John Kay. Etching, 1802.
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The flag of the Haitian Revolution, inscribed with the words, "Liberté ou la mort" (Freedom or death) (1803-1804)
For more on the Haitian flag and its origins, click here
Dessalines. Engraving by Manuel López López , 1806
For more on Dessalines, the 1804 massacre, and early post-revolutionary Haiti, click here
Toussaint Louverture on Horseback, Anonymous, French, 19th C.
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Jacob Lawrence with pictures from The Life of Toussaint L’Ouverture, teaching a group of children at Lincoln School, New Rochelle, USA, 1941.
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To see the Lawrence seriesThe Life of Toussaint L’Ouverture click here
Deeper Dives
Deeper Dives
Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian Revolution (56:00)
- The Haitian Revolution Timeline
Remarkably detailed and researched site. Created by a graduate of Brown University based on research for a senior thesis. - The Root of Haiti’s Misery:Reparations to Enslavers The Root of Haiti’s Misery:Reparations to Enslavers
Extensive exploration. Includes audio and multimedia
Haitian Revolution
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Background/Overviews
Setting the Stage
- The Code Noir (The Black Code) (1685)
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Includes description of the Code Noir and translation of the edict of 1685.
- Slavery in HaitiSmith, Troy D. "Slavery in Haiti." Gale Library of Daily Life: Slavery in America, edited by Orville Vernon Burton, vol. 2, Gale, 2008, pp. 256-261.
- Antislavery Agitation: Abbé Raynal, Philosophical and Political History of the Settlements and Trade of the Europeans in the East and West Indies (1770)
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Overview & excerpt
Key Figures & Events
- How Toussaint L’ouverture Rose from Slavery to Lead the Haitian Revolution
Pushing back aggressions by Europe's greatest powers, Haiti's 'founding father' set the stage for the world's first sovereign Black state. - The First Days of the Slave Insurrection (1791)
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First-person accounts of the 1791 insurrection. - The Pennsylvania Gazette: Magnitude of the Insurrection (12 October 1791)
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- The Haitian Declaration of Independence (1804)
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Legacy & Influence
- "What shall be done with the slaves?" (1861)
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Letter to the New York Times editor from abolitionist J.B. Lyon describing how pro-slavery advocates in the South would invoke the 1804 massacre to defend their position.
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