Toussaint Louverture

Toussaint Louverture

The Basics

• born in the French colony of Saint Domingue

• fought to help the people of Saint Domingue gain their freedom from slavery and France

• When Saint Domingue, led by Toussaint, defeated France, the new country took on the name Haiti.

Slavery in Saint Domingue

• focused on producing cash crops: sugar, coffee, indigo, etc...

• 500,000 slaves lived in Saint Domingue -compared to 1,000,000 slaves in the USA (estimate)

• sugar production was especially labor intensive

Multiple Choice

Population density is a measurement of the amount of people per area. Which area had a higher density of enslaved peoples?

• Saint Domingue

• The United States

Open Ended

Why would a high population density of enslaved people help the enslaved people of Saint Domingue when the revolted?

Toussaint - the Liberator of Slaves

• Writes a letter to the French - it read, "They bore their chains when they knew no condition of life better than that of slavery. But today when they have left it, if they had a thousand lives, they would sacrifice them all rather than be subjected again to slavery.

• Writes an end to slavery into the Constitution.

Toussaint - the Military Commander

• used guerilla style tactics - do not announce your presence, attack when you have the advantage

• used European style tactics - form lines to create an overwhelming amount of firepower

• 31, 131 French troops invaded Saint Domingue. 25,999 French were killed

• 
  

Toussaint - Military Commander

• burned his own cities

• gave the French nowhere to stay

• Many died from malaria and yellow fever; these diseases plagued Europeans in the tropics

Multiple Choice

Toussaint _________________ in order to defeat the French.

• enslaved his own people

• ended all free speech

• burned the cities of Saint Domingue

Open Ended

How did burning the cities of Saint Domingue kill the French invaders?

Toussaint - the Ruler of Haiti

• wants to ensure the country is not in debt

• decides to adopt the French plantation model

• willing to execute his own nephew to see his plan succeed

Multiple Choice

Toussaint's nephew, Hyacinthe Moyse, was killed for leading a rebellion against Toussaint. What kind of farming did Moyse prefer?

• plantation

• parcel (breaking a big far up into smaller farms)

Poll

I think Toussaint Louverture should be remembered as a

• liberator of slaves

• dictator

• hypocrite

• something else