Contrary to most slave revolts, the Haitian Revolution (1791–1804) has left a rich archival record that includes documents written by the dominant classes as well as by the people of African descent. Of these, the most notable author was Toussaint Louverture, who during the 1790s wrote hundreds of letters, pamphlets, and proclamations (a few of them in his own hand) in an effort to shape official and public opinion in France and Saint-Domingue (Haiti). Particularly worthy of note is a 21-page memoir that Louverture wrote shortly before his death and that defended his public record as governor of Saint-Domingue
Unlike the American and French Revolutions, the Haitian Revolution was the first in a modern state to implement human rights universally and unconditionally. Going well beyond the selective emancipation of white adult male property owners, the Haitian Revolution is of vital importance, Nick Nesbitt argues, in thinking today about the urgent problems of social justice, human rights, imperialism, torture, and, above all, human freedom.
The largest slave revolt in history took place in Saint-Domingue in the early 1790s. What made the revolt possible? How did insurgent slaves convince France that slavery should be abolished? Uncover the suspenseful story of Toussaint Louverture's rise to power, which paved the way for an independent Haiti in Slave Revolt and the Abolition of Slavery.