Interactions with Environment
Before
Before the Haitian Revolution began, the tension between slaves and Europeans had already begun to intensify. The ratio of slaves to slave owners, the diseases being spread, and the harsh living conditions for the slaves all contributed to the Haitian Revolution.
At the time, Saint Domingue was a money-making colony for France because of the cash crops produced there (Crash Course). These large crops needed an equally large amount of slaves to tend to and harvest them. With only 30,000 slave owners and around 700,000 slaves, the slave population vastly outnumbered the white slave owner population (The Haitian Revolution, uky). Violent conflicts between white colonists and slaves were common. Also, all of the foreigners constantly being shipped from Africa to Haiti led to the spread of disease (Crash Course). Many suffered from Yellow Fever and Smallpox (Crash Course). The white slave owners used superior military technology to keep the slaves at bay (The Haitian Revolution, uky). The living conditions for slaves were horrendous. So terrible that in order to keep the population of slaves sufficiently high, there had to be constant transfer of new slaves since the old slaves were dying and not reproducing (Crash Course). Laws passed by the French Government concerning the treatment of the slaves were often ignored.”We forbid them to work, nor make their slaves work, on said days, from midnight until the following midnight. They shall neither cultivate the earth, manufacture sugar, nor perform any other work, at the risk of a fine and an arbitrary punishment against the masters, and of confiscation by our officers of as much sugar worked by said slaves before being caught.”(The L' Ouverture project.) Many wealthy white men had children with black slaves. They usually granted their children freedom, creating a new free social class called free coloreds who were half black and half white (European) (Crash Course). There were approximately 28,000 free coloreds at that time (The Haitian Revolution, uky).
To conclude, Saint Domingue had a huge amount of slaves and very little European slave owners. Disease was being spread because of the large amount of new people constantly being introduced to the area. There were very harsh living conditions for the slaves. These factors all help explain why the Haitian Revolution happened, and why it was possible.
At the time, Saint Domingue was a money-making colony for France because of the cash crops produced there (Crash Course). These large crops needed an equally large amount of slaves to tend to and harvest them. With only 30,000 slave owners and around 700,000 slaves, the slave population vastly outnumbered the white slave owner population (The Haitian Revolution, uky). Violent conflicts between white colonists and slaves were common. Also, all of the foreigners constantly being shipped from Africa to Haiti led to the spread of disease (Crash Course). Many suffered from Yellow Fever and Smallpox (Crash Course). The white slave owners used superior military technology to keep the slaves at bay (The Haitian Revolution, uky). The living conditions for slaves were horrendous. So terrible that in order to keep the population of slaves sufficiently high, there had to be constant transfer of new slaves since the old slaves were dying and not reproducing (Crash Course). Laws passed by the French Government concerning the treatment of the slaves were often ignored.”We forbid them to work, nor make their slaves work, on said days, from midnight until the following midnight. They shall neither cultivate the earth, manufacture sugar, nor perform any other work, at the risk of a fine and an arbitrary punishment against the masters, and of confiscation by our officers of as much sugar worked by said slaves before being caught.”(The L' Ouverture project.) Many wealthy white men had children with black slaves. They usually granted their children freedom, creating a new free social class called free coloreds who were half black and half white (European) (Crash Course). There were approximately 28,000 free coloreds at that time (The Haitian Revolution, uky).
To conclude, Saint Domingue had a huge amount of slaves and very little European slave owners. Disease was being spread because of the large amount of new people constantly being introduced to the area. There were very harsh living conditions for the slaves. These factors all help explain why the Haitian Revolution happened, and why it was possible.
(Slaves of the St. Domingue colony work on a cane sugar plantation. The slaves had little clothing and are watched by Europeans with whips to keep them working without a break. It can be seen that though the slaves in the picture outnumber their owner two to one, the owners have weapons specially designed to keep them at bay.)
Causes
The Haitian Revolution was affected by a lot of different events that occurred due to the overuse of slavery in Saint Domingue. Three things made the rebellion successful: the number of slaves, the diseases being spread, and the money that Saint Domingue (Haiti) produced.
The Haitian Revolution was considered one of the most successful revolutions of all time (Crash Course). This revolution was possible due to the large amount of slaves that had been living in Haiti. There were roughly 700,000 slaves and only 38,000 white Europeans(The Haitian Revolution, uky). This allowed Haiti to defend itself from the French with ease. Another one of the factors that helped the African slaves in the revolution was smallpox and yellow fever because these diseases helped wipe out French forces (Crash Course). The defeat of France led to the weakening of their economy since they no longer profited from Saint Domingue. This need to strengthen the economy subsequently prompted France to sell Louisiana to the United States.
In conclusion, the Haitian Revolution was successful for many reasons;
The large number of slaves revolting which was a short term cause since the population fluctuated with the death of war.
The diseases that the French were not accustomed to which was a spark cause since it was not a controlled factor of the war. Lastly, the impact on the French economy which could be considered a long term cause since it led to the Louisiana purchase and a major decline in France’s economy.
The Haitian Revolution was considered one of the most successful revolutions of all time (Crash Course). This revolution was possible due to the large amount of slaves that had been living in Haiti. There were roughly 700,000 slaves and only 38,000 white Europeans(The Haitian Revolution, uky). This allowed Haiti to defend itself from the French with ease. Another one of the factors that helped the African slaves in the revolution was smallpox and yellow fever because these diseases helped wipe out French forces (Crash Course). The defeat of France led to the weakening of their economy since they no longer profited from Saint Domingue. This need to strengthen the economy subsequently prompted France to sell Louisiana to the United States.
In conclusion, the Haitian Revolution was successful for many reasons;
The large number of slaves revolting which was a short term cause since the population fluctuated with the death of war.
The diseases that the French were not accustomed to which was a spark cause since it was not a controlled factor of the war. Lastly, the impact on the French economy which could be considered a long term cause since it led to the Louisiana purchase and a major decline in France’s economy.