Egalite for All is a documentary that depicts the events that transpired within the Haitian Revolution. The film sets the timeline for which Haiti also known as Saint-Domingue (1697-1803) sees its revolt from the mother country France. Through a series of uprisings and political/military maneuvers Haiti becomes the first black-led republic in 1804.
The film begins with the events of French revolution and the creation of “The Rights of Man”. Both Egalite and the Knight reading share the same beliefs on the impact of these events. The Rights of Man established the ideals of “Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity”. These values resonated deeply for the French people, for they were in process of abolishing economic and social injustice of France. However …show more content…
His people refuse to return to the plantations and he must use force to encourage participation. Ultimately, later down the line this leads to a loss of support for his fight against Napoleon. However, this is not how Knight recounts the event. Knight does mention the reinsertion of plantations. Although there is no mention of his people losing faith in his leadership. Knight also highlights that Louvertures turned to other countries such as Britain and the United States for help in feeding his people. This alliance was not touched upon in the film. These small differences in recounts of history exemplify Trouillots idea of historical silences. This is the idea that history has different accounts combing to create fact. He explains how even with very close sources, history will be molded over time. Trouillot participates in this action with his mention of the war within the war. This was the war taking place after Louvertures capture and death. Saint-Domingue broke into two sides and began fighting among itself. Eventually the fighting ceased and Saint-Domingue became what is known as today as Haiti. Although this just adds detail to the account, the film had no mention of the war. Egalite for All concludes with the end of the Haitian Revolution and a newly independent Haiti being created, but the story doesn’t end there. Murray explains the effect of the Haitian Revolution and the repercussions it incurred. The creation of Haiti as the first independent black-led republic gave other countries the idea that independence was obtainable. However, Murray mentions that while independent the country still followed the very distinct social class rankings created through skin color. So while the Haitian Revolution was a great step towards equality, history still had a long way to go before equality for all
The film begins with the events of French revolution and the creation of “The Rights of Man”. Both Egalite and the Knight reading share the same beliefs on the impact of these events. The Rights of Man established the ideals of “Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity”. These values resonated deeply for the French people, for they were in process of abolishing economic and social injustice of France. However …show more content…
His people refuse to return to the plantations and he must use force to encourage participation. Ultimately, later down the line this leads to a loss of support for his fight against Napoleon. However, this is not how Knight recounts the event. Knight does mention the reinsertion of plantations. Although there is no mention of his people losing faith in his leadership. Knight also highlights that Louvertures turned to other countries such as Britain and the United States for help in feeding his people. This alliance was not touched upon in the film. These small differences in recounts of history exemplify Trouillots idea of historical silences. This is the idea that history has different accounts combing to create fact. He explains how even with very close sources, history will be molded over time. Trouillot participates in this action with his mention of the war within the war. This was the war taking place after Louvertures capture and death. Saint-Domingue broke into two sides and began fighting among itself. Eventually the fighting ceased and Saint-Domingue became what is known as today as Haiti. Although this just adds detail to the account, the film had no mention of the war. Egalite for All concludes with the end of the Haitian Revolution and a newly independent Haiti being created, but the story doesn’t end there. Murray explains the effect of the Haitian Revolution and the repercussions it incurred. The creation of Haiti as the first independent black-led republic gave other countries the idea that independence was obtainable. However, Murray mentions that while independent the country still followed the very distinct social class rankings created through skin color. So while the Haitian Revolution was a great step towards equality, history still had a long way to go before equality for all