Enlightenment on the French and Term Paper

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.. reason is being heard throughout the whole universe; discover your rights," led to her being charged with treason, resulting in her arrest, trial and execution in 1793 by the dreaded guillotine (1997, Halsall, "Olympe de Gouge," Internet).

The Haitian Revolution:

While all of this revolt was happening in France, the small Caribbean colony of Haiti was experiencing similar turmoil. The Haitian Revolution of 1789 to 1804 began as a political struggle among the free peoples of Saint Domingue, a French colony on the island of Hispaniola. The French Revolution of the same period provided the impetus for class and racial hatreds to come about on the island. Each of the colony's social classes, being the wealthy planters and merchants, and the lower white classes, seized the chance to address their grievances and bring about social chaos and revolt. While many colonial members sought support from the political groups in France, the struggle quickly turned violent, for in August of 1791, the slave population joined in and turned the revolution into a war for emancipation and national independence.

Part of the problem could be found in the fact that Saint Domingue was a very valuable piece of real estate. In 1780, "there were 800 sugar plantations and 2,000 coffee plantations," most of which were centered around Cap Francais, "the central region for the slave rebellion," due to Cap Francais being "where the majority of the slaves were located" (2004, Carpentier, Internet).

The success of the slave revolt was due mostly to the leadership of Toussaint Louverture, whose efforts to rid Haiti of slavery were highly bound to European rivalries and the politics of the French Revolution.

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However, the slaves within Haiti, following the adoption of the constitution of the Haitian Republic on July 1, 1801, continued to be oppressed, and despite the rewards of emancipation and progressive labor reforms, most of which were inspired by the "Declaration of the Rights of Man," the plantation system remained in force. Toussaint, liberated by the ideals of the National Convention in Paris, was also inspired by the Jacobins who abolished slavery in France in February of 1794.

Conclusion:

Obviously, the ideals or "authors" of the Enlightenment greatly influenced the French and Haitian Revolutions, mostly due to the rights of man as expressed in the "Declaration" and the philosophical ideals of such men as Rousseau, Diderot and Montesquieu. Also, the French Revolution influenced the Haitian revolt via its appeal to the white lower classes, the mulattos and freed blacks who resented the social barriers of legal discrimination within Haiti. Not surprisingly, Toussaint's career as Haiti's rebellious leader reflected that of his adversary, Napoleon Bonaparte, for Toussaint was deposed of his power after Napoleon sent 40,000 troops to Haiti to re-establish slavery. Thus, the Enlightenment not only brought about new political/social systems within France and Haiti but also caused massive unrest and much trouble for both countries as the 18th century came to a close and the 19th century loomed on the horizon......

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