Toussant Louverture
Toussant Louverture was born on May 20, 1743 (This Week 30) and died April 7, 1803 alone, in a French prison (Norton 6.) His impact on the history of Haiti will eternally be visible and the effects will continue forward for all time.
To clarify a historical context: Haiti was discovered by Christopher Colombus and was promptly colonized. Spain was quite happy to claim it and quite happy to use its natural resources as many other powerful European countries were doing; however, as was often the case, France and Britain were none too happy about this development. Any positive for one country is considered a negative for the others. French and British privateers caused continuous issues for the tiny Spanish island, eventually …show more content…
At first, the fighters were freed men of color, led by Frenchmen; it was not until 1791 that things became a more major concern with slaves joining in the fight for freedom (Popkin 36.) It is at this point that Toussant makes his debut; starting off, Toussant sides with the Spanish against the French. The French leader of the colony declared that slaves would be freed but Toussant recognized that the leader did not actually have the authority to make this decision and remained firmly sided with the Spanish (Popkin 202-203.) The French leader declared once again the slaves would have freedom, this time with permission from the French government and Toussant switched allegiances from the …show more content…
A fighter for peace, he died a captive in a land not his own but a country he claimed; an effective leader whose influence had mixed results. I find the curious aspects of this character most interesting in a retrospective analysis. Starting today we can see a Haiti whose GDP per capita is 211th out of 229 (United States.) This is brought about in part from issues of location and the constant threat of hurricanes and earthquakes but as well stems from issues going back further. After Toussaint was thrown in prison, the struggle for an independent Haiti continued, eventually ending up with Haiti receiving independence at the cost of a large debt to France. The other major issue for Haiti was a lack of trade opportunities. The US was pushed into the position by southern farmers who didn’t like the idea of a slave rebellion that worked and didn’t want to interact with that sort of ideology due to the possible threat it would place on their livelihood (Clavin 118.) France was bitter about the relationship ending. Britain was busy with the development and exploitation of its own colonies. The fledgling nation of Haiti started with a deficit and continued with few opportunities in the world. While Toussaint was quite effective at securing freedom for his country and sparking an eventual independent country, it seems today that the freedom of their present time was purchased with the tears of their
Toussant Louverture was born on May 20, 1743 (This Week 30) and died April 7, 1803 alone, in a French prison (Norton 6.) His impact on the history of Haiti will eternally be visible and the effects will continue forward for all time.
To clarify a historical context: Haiti was discovered by Christopher Colombus and was promptly colonized. Spain was quite happy to claim it and quite happy to use its natural resources as many other powerful European countries were doing; however, as was often the case, France and Britain were none too happy about this development. Any positive for one country is considered a negative for the others. French and British privateers caused continuous issues for the tiny Spanish island, eventually …show more content…
At first, the fighters were freed men of color, led by Frenchmen; it was not until 1791 that things became a more major concern with slaves joining in the fight for freedom (Popkin 36.) It is at this point that Toussant makes his debut; starting off, Toussant sides with the Spanish against the French. The French leader of the colony declared that slaves would be freed but Toussant recognized that the leader did not actually have the authority to make this decision and remained firmly sided with the Spanish (Popkin 202-203.) The French leader declared once again the slaves would have freedom, this time with permission from the French government and Toussant switched allegiances from the …show more content…
A fighter for peace, he died a captive in a land not his own but a country he claimed; an effective leader whose influence had mixed results. I find the curious aspects of this character most interesting in a retrospective analysis. Starting today we can see a Haiti whose GDP per capita is 211th out of 229 (United States.) This is brought about in part from issues of location and the constant threat of hurricanes and earthquakes but as well stems from issues going back further. After Toussaint was thrown in prison, the struggle for an independent Haiti continued, eventually ending up with Haiti receiving independence at the cost of a large debt to France. The other major issue for Haiti was a lack of trade opportunities. The US was pushed into the position by southern farmers who didn’t like the idea of a slave rebellion that worked and didn’t want to interact with that sort of ideology due to the possible threat it would place on their livelihood (Clavin 118.) France was bitter about the relationship ending. Britain was busy with the development and exploitation of its own colonies. The fledgling nation of Haiti started with a deficit and continued with few opportunities in the world. While Toussaint was quite effective at securing freedom for his country and sparking an eventual independent country, it seems today that the freedom of their present time was purchased with the tears of their