The issue of freedom is central in all the events happening during Haitians’ fights for their independence. It is hard to disagree that French and Haitians perceived freedom variously. French people used double standards regarding the right legislation of their enslaved colony. Talking about freedom, each side had various opinions about its implementation. For Haitians, the diverse reality and pronounced words by their rulers were catalyzing the misunderstandings and anger towards the French. The contradistinction impacted the further flow of events.
However, France was the first country to abolish slavery after the actions of Toussaint Louverture. This was a great moment in the history of black people when they were finally called free under French law. Even though Napoleon later took the law away, it was a historically significant event in reaching race equality. Consequently, the French made some essential steps to present freedom to their colony. Nevertheless, to gain independence back to fight for full rights, Haitians had to go on the path of Revolution. It seems this was the only successful way to claim independence, and that is what they did.
The reasons why the Haitian government could not remain free for a long time are still being discussed. It is hard to estimate which of the reasons impacted the most: the unsustainable position, ongoing revolts, including revolts inside the country, or the lack of financial and political strength of authorities (Dupuy 16). Some representatives indeed learned to read and write, and became more literate; however, it was not enough compared to strong, powerful states having more experience and knowledge about state functionality.
French and Haitian Revolution was indeed the only slave revolt that led to the creation of a state and that was free of slavery and ruled by former slaves. This event is now widely regarded as a crucial event in world history. It is hard to disagree that both the French and Haitian people were imprisoned by slavery and restrictions. However, the rulers repressed Haitians, breaking moral and ethical values and labor rights. Physical and mental freedom limits have various roots and were impacting these two groups of people from different sides. Back in the day, the fight for rights estimating all the circumstances would never be possible without revolts and fighting. The struggles for freedom for such a small independent government could not remain endless.
The major reason for the loss of independent status was more likely the inner conflict between the black population and mulattoes. The briefly proclaimed Independent State of Spanish Haiti was soon destroyed and declared the Dominican Republic. It is possible that one of the major factors leading to such a short independent existence of the government was unsustainability and internecine fights preventing the country’s development (Dupuy 13). A variety of political and economic possibilities were lost due to ongoing conflicts and fights.
Moreover, Haiti’s authorities lacked the financial, ideological, and political attributes that would distinguish the typical back-to-days bourgeoises. Thus, various major reasons are leading to a crisis of saving the position of independent government. All the mentioned factors impacted the development of tragic events and ended Haiti on a negative note. However, this revolution is a bright example of people being capable of taking matters into their hands and fighting for their rights and justice back.
Work Cited
Dupuy, Alex. Rethinking the Haitian Revolution: Slavery, Independence, and the Struggle for Recognition. Rowman & Littlefield, 2019.