How The Haitian Revolution Changed American Culture

Great Essays
Bryan Staerkel
Caribbean/Post Colonial
9/26/16

In the late 1700’s Haiti went through a revolution that changed the country and the world in a way unlike any other. Toussaint Louverture led a revolution that successfully ended slavery and made France, as well as many other countries question it. Haiti became the worlds first black republic and the aftermath of the revolution can still be seen today. “Egalite for All” brings the story of the revolution to life and gives greater insight to what really happened, while Knight, Trouillet, and Ulysse all had unique takes on the revolution, and Brereton shows how the Caribbean was changed in the future. “Egalite for All” was a compelling film that focused on the Haitian revolution and Toussaint
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Slavery was soon abolished everywhere, and black and mixed people gained more opportunities. However, Brereton thought that until the 1930’s it was relatively quiet with little movement in the three-tiered system that was put in place during slavery. After the 1930’s the middle tier began to grow. People moved away from agriculture and tried new venture like tourism and mining. Although slavery was over, racism was still very much present. It was worse in some places than others. New groups also moved to the Caribbean. Indians, and other people from Asia tried to find their place in Caribbean societies, and this could sometimes cause tension. Similar to Haiti after the revolution, most Caribbean islands faced extreme poverty, but many accepted it as a part of life. Religion in the area was usually Christianity, African beliefs in the spirit world, or a mixture of both. The Caribbean continues to change but the remnants of colonialism and slavery are still very evident today.
Overall, “Egalite for All” and the various readings provided far deeper knowledge about the Haitian revolution. The film and the reading from Knight focused on Toussaint Louverture and gave an overview of the Haitian revolution. Troulliet talked about Sans Suoci and how some people and events in history are able to be lost. Brereton focused on the Caribbean after the Haitian revolution and talked about how it has or hasn’t changed in the time since. The Haitian revolution marks the only successful slave revolution in history, and changed the area in ways that can still be seen

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