ANALYZE THE CONDITIONS THAT PRODUCED SLAVE

INSURRECTIONS IN SAINT DOMINGUE.

Mathilda Seger, Ben Reed, and Sam Wooley

SOCIAL CAUSES

Thesis: The slaves of Saint-Domingue were influenced to

revolt when news of the French Revolution touched the

Haitian society in 1789, especially with their knowledge of

what freedom felt like from their lives in Africa, their missed

opportunity of freedom from the French abolition of slavery

in 1794, and the overwhelming 5:1 majority they held in the

colonies.• French Revolution• French abolition of slavery• Knowing Freedom in Africa• Overwhelming majority

FRENCH REVOLUTION

1789-1799

Declaration of the Rights of Man

Creates conditions for more revolution in Haiti

Encourages whites and affranchis to give hope to

enslaved people

Political and social upheaval

FRENCH ABOLITION OF SLAVERY

1794

Abolishes slavery in France and all French

territories

Gives hope to slaves, something to fight for

Should be free according to law, but kept enslaved

by the plantation owners

KNOWING FREEDOM FROM AFRICA

Because most owners would rather work their

slaves to death and buy new ones than keep them

healthy, nearly all of the slaves had been captured

only 10 years or less before the Revolution.

They knew what freedom was like

Desire for equality and freedom

OVERWHELMING MAJORITY

Enough people to overwhelm and overpower their slave

owners and to remove white people from the land

Large army can be created when the time is right

If France wants to reclaim the land, they have to send a

massive army to beat 500,000 slaves and growing

CONCLUSION

Slaves in Saint-Domingue found themselves in a

prime opportunity to strike against their cruel

plantation owners, with a large number in force and

a goal with an outcome that could change the world.