The Role Race Plays in Revolutions

Race plays a huge role in the world we live in. But some fail to acknowledge human value because of race. For example, the case in Ferguson, Missouri. Race played a major part and still will. In the Latin American revolutions, race also played a huge role. The people who led the revolutions were from different racial groups. In class we recently learned about the Latin American revolutions. We then broke up into groups and learned more about the revolutions

Our group's timeline on the revolution in Gran Columbia

Between all the revolutions, there were some commonalities as well as differences. All three revolutions we learned about were all fighting to gain independence and they were all against European countries. However, not all revolutions resulted in a constitution formed, and 2 had the same racial group leading, while one had a different one. The higher up people were in terms of race back then, the bigger impact they had. All of the leaders came from the two highest groups in terms of ranking at the time.

Now, race is still an important factor in day to day life. For example, the Ferguson case that just got closed. A black teenager was killed by a white cop. People are still ignorant of the fact that race doesn't matter. We all were created or evolved (or whatever the theory that you believe for how humans were created) from the same thing. What it comes down to in the end is what kind of person they are. That is what matters, not race or color.

Toussaint Louverture: Leader of the Haitian Revolution (Haitian Revolution DBQ)

Throughout history there have been many great leaders who have accomplished many things. One of them was Toussaint Louverture. He fought for slaves independence and succeeded, led a rebel force on the island colony of Saint Domingue, became commander-in-chief of the army there after the French abolished slavery, and later led an army against Napoleon’s forces. He was later captured by Napoleon’s forces and died in jail. However Napoleon withdrew, and the colony of Saint Domingue became Haiti on January 1, 1804. Toussaint Louverture was a great leader and should be remembered as a liberator of slaves, and in the process led the most successful slave revolt, a brilliant military commander, and the ruler of Saint Domingue.

Toussaint Louverture helped to liberate the slaves of Saint Domingue and protect their freedom. When the slave revolt broke out in Saint Domingue in 1791, Toussaint joined as doctor and eventually led the revolt itself. When France abolished slavery Toussaint ordered the rebellion to stop, now that the slaves are free.(A) Eventually rumors reach the colony that France may reinstate slavery, to which Toussaint writes “Could men who have once enjoyed the benefits of liberty look on calmly while it is taken from them!”(B) Toussaint states that if the freedom of slaves is threatened, they will fight back. He states later that “There cannot exist slaves in this territory, servitude is therein forever abolished.”(C) This is showing that he has officially declared the slaves liberated. He helped to lead the slave revolt, which gave him experience as a military commander.

Toussaint Louverture was a brilliant military commander when it came to planning out the battle and in combat. During the slave revolt, he trained his men in both guerrilla and European style warfare, allowing his troops to have more tactics to chose from in combat. When uprisings occurred after he had been ruler of Saint Domingue for some time, he handled the situation by “... he ordered the mutineer regiments on parade and summoned certain men to step out of the ranks and blow their brains out.”(E) He made sure that people understand his power as a military commander. When Napoleon sent troops to retake Saint Domingue, Toussaint ordered cities burnt to the ground to prevent the enemy from using them. He also had his troops moved into the mountains since it was an advantage. “Toussaint and his generals at once abandoned the towns, and betook themselves to the mountains, those citadels of freedom in St. Domingo, where the blacks had always proved too much for the whites.”(F) This shows Toussaint’s brilliancy as a military commander through tactics and strategy. Due to his skill as a military commander, he was also appointed the ruler of Saint Domingue.

As the ruler of Saint Domingue, Toussaint Louverture created many new laws and policies. Since Saint Domingue was still a French colony, he knew that it was vital to keep the plantations going as they were a main source of income. The former slaves wouldn’t want to work back at the plantations, so Toussaint made sure that they would be paid. The constitution stated that “The colony being essentially agricultural cannot suffer the least disruption in the works of its cultivation.”(C) further backing up Toussaint’s reasons for keeping plantations going. He made sure everyone was working the moment they could. He proclaimed “As soon as a child can walk, he should be employed on the plantation according to his strength in some useful work.”(D) He is making sure that everyone does their part to support the economy.

Toussaint Louverture was an incredible person. He fought and helped protect slaves’ freedom using his talents as a military leader and using his position of the ruler of Saint Domingue. His brilliancy as a military commander enabled him to win battles against Napoleon’s army. He should be remembered as the liberator of slaves, a brilliant military commander, and as the ruler of Saint Domingue.

 

Sources:

Document A: created from various sources

Document B: Toussaint Louverture, “Letter to the French Directory, November 1797.”

Document C: The Saint Domingue Constitution of 1801. Signed by Toussaint Louverture in July 1801.

Document D: Toussaint Louverture, “Proclamation, 25 November 1801.”

Document E: Madison Smartt Bell, Toussaint Louverture: A Biography, 2007.

Document F: William Wells Brown, “A Description of Louverture,” from The Black Man, His Antecedents, His Genius, and His Achievements, 2nd edition, 1863. Engraving of Toussaint Louverture, 1802.

Successes and Failures: The Revolutions of 1830 and 1848

Revolutions have come and go throughout history. They have been called both successes and failures. The revolutions of 1830 & 1848 have been called failures by historians. But some were successes. In class we just finished learning about those revolutions. We were split into groups and assigned a revolution. My group was assigned the revolution of 1830 France. We then had to make a SurveyMonkey with questions relating to the revolution we were assigned.

The revolution in 1830 was due to Charles X abolishing the constitutional monarchy. He gave up his crown and Louis Philippe was crowned king. What started this revolution was something called "The July Ordinances", which basically said that Charles X had the right to remove the freedom of press, abolish the Chamber of Deputies, and prevent any law changes he disagreed with. People were displeased with this and the lack of rights they had, such as the right to vote. Later, the Chamber of Deputies decided that Louis Philippe should be the new king. A revolution ensured, and in the end more people got rights from it, but the voting population was still mainly the upper-upper class.

Some of the revolutions were a complete failure, like the Decembrist Revolt, which ended with bloodshed after the new Tsar of Russia ordered his own troops to fire upon fellow soldiers to prevent an uprising. The French Revolution of 1830 was almost a full success. The French Revolution of 1848 was a mix since the new leader would bring down the empire. The revolutions were a mix of both success and failure.