Slave Revolution Research Paper

The slave trade was a critical part of the productiveness of Saint-Domingue. The slave owners were often cruel and abusive to what they believed to be their property. The captured people were forced to abandon their religion, generally Voodoo, and were baptized with the religion that their owners practiced, Roman Catholic. The colonial system viewed Voodoo traditions and customs as a threat causing the practice of the religion to be forbidden (Gunyup 1). At the time, the majority of people that practiced voodoo were slaves, therefore they were thought of as not being human, but as property. The slave owners at the time became fearful of religion and, “Their religion was dismissed as superstition, their priests were denigrated as witchdoctors, their Gods and Spirits were denounced as evil,” (Haas). If someone …show more content…
This caused many of the slaves to rebel from their oppressive owners. Many conflicts arose between the white colonist slave holders and the runaway slaves, also known as Maroons. Their frustrations with the abuse caused many rebellions against the white colonists. The slaves hid in mountains and forests waiting for their numbers to grow. As their ranks increased they began raiding the colonies. The first successful slave revolt was led by Toussaint Louverture in 1791. Many of the Maroons practiced Voodoo causing the colonists to be fearful of the army. After ten years of fighting, the new Colonial Assembly appointed the title of “governor-general-for-life” to Louverture. Problems arose once again when Napoleon Bonaparte rose to power in France and started wars to gain new land for France. On May 5, 1802