[Toussaint Louverture] Leader of Haiti's independence, Toussaint Louverture

[People Study] Toussaint Louverture, Leader of Haiti's Independence

 

The Republic of Haiti is an island country located in Central America.

The Republic of Haiti is now a poor country for various reasons, but it was also a prosperous region at one time with the largest number of freighters traveling between Europe and the New World. It is the only country in South America ruled by France as a colony, and it is also the place where the world's first black republic was founded by the 'Haiti Revolution'. In 1804, America became the second country to gain independence after the United States, and it was a country that achieved independence through the revolt of slaves. Today, let's take a look at Louverture, a black leader who took the lead in the independence of the Republic of Haiti.

 

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1. to come under French rule

In October 1492, the explorer Columbus, supported by the Spanish royal family, arrived on an island in the Caribbean. Columbus named it 'Hipaniola', which means 'Little Spain'. Spain began to build colonies on this island, 'Santo Domingo', and then expanded its colonies to the Americas. 

 

However, in the 17th century, when Spain's national power declined, France, which gradually increased its influence, took over the western part of Hispaniola Island from Spain in 1697.

 

 

White conquerors arrived on the island of Saint-Dominge, planted sugar cane, made sugar, sold it to Europe and North America, and cultivated coffee. In the late 18th century, the sugar produced in Saint-Domangue was higher than that produced in Jamaica, Cuba, and Brazil, and coffee production was so enormous that it accounted for half of the world's. At that time, Saint-Domangue was so prosperous that more ships entered and left than any other port in Europe.

 

In the early colonial days of Hispaniola, a small number of white people used the majority of indigenous labor to run their farms. However, the indigenous peoples had no immunity to various infectious diseases such as smallpox brought with them by the European conquerors. Aboriginal people died in large numbers, leaving about 500,000 Aboriginal populations in 1492 with only 29,000 remaining 20 years later. When there was a shortage of people to work on the farms, the whites began to bring in large numbers of black slaves from Africa.

At that time, there were about 36,000 Europeans on the island of Saint-Dominge, while the slave population of African descent was about 500,000.

 

 

 

2. The process of revolution in the Republic of Haiti

  Over time, Hispaniola increased in mulatto, a mixture of Europeans and black slaves. They had the second highest social status and wealth after whites, forming a middle class. When the French Revolution broke out in 1789, some mulatto groups were influenced by the revolutionary spirit that 'all human beings are equal' and attempted an armed uprising thinking that 'the French dominion over the colonies would have weakened'.

 

  The leader who appeared around this time was Toussaint L'ouverture (1743–1803), a black slave and independence activist. He was called a 'black Spartacus' (a slave gladiator in ancient Rome) and a 'black Jacobin (radical)'. His father was a black slave captured in Africa, but his intelligence was recognized and he assumed the role of a farmer's middle manager. Thanks to this, Toussaint grew up in a relatively favorable environment compared to other black slaves, and learned French and Latin from an early age, and gained trust by serving as the owner's butler. And he organized the black slaves and spearheaded the war for the emancipation of the black slaves from 1791.

 

As France was thrown into chaos by the Revolution, Britain and Spain rushed to take possession of Saint-Domangue. Toussaint took advantage of this international situation to demonstrate outstanding leadership. When France was lukewarm about the emancipation of black slaves, it allied with Spain and fought with France, and when France declared the abolition of slavery, it turned to France and fought with Spain. After negotiations, the British withdrew the British army and reclaimed the capital, Port-au-Prince. In the process, Toussaint's influence grew stronger. He later became the supreme leader of the revolutionary government, and he attacked the Spanish province of Santo Domingo, uniting the entire island of Hispaniola. He wanted to practice equality on the island of Saint-Dominge. He declared that he would bring former farm owners back, let Africans work on farms, but unlike before, farm owners and Africans work equally, share income equally, and ban whites beating and oppressing blacks .

 

  However, when Toussaint drafted a constitution for colonial autonomy, the new ruler of France, Napoleon, sent more than 20,000 soldiers to suppress it, and Toussaint was eventually arrested. Detained in a castle in eastern France, Toussaint died in 1803 of ill health.

Around the time Africans were forced to return to slavery, malaria (yellow fever) began to spread terribly on the island of Saint-Dominge. French soldiers began to collapse helplessly from the epidemic. In four weeks, 4,000 people died and Napoleon's brother-in-law, Charles Leclerc, also fell ill. At this time, Toussaint's subordinates gathered again. I decided that I would rather die fighting than become a slave again. The French army, who was dying of disease, had no choice but to surrender to the desperate slaves. On January 1, 1804, the people of Saint-Domangue decided to name their country 'Haiti' (meaning country of high mountains) and declared independence. And I tore off the white band in the middle of the French flag. White was the symbol of the French royal family. So the flag of Haiti is made of red and blue.

 

 

  It had been 7 months since Toussaint died. In the Americas, it was the second country to gain independence after the United States (1783), and it became the first country to achieve independence in South America. Moreover, it was an event of great historical significance in that it was the first republic in the world founded by black people.

 

Toussaint Louverture

 

 

 

Haiti Flag

 

 

3. Toussaint Louverture

Louverture was born as a slave on a sugar cane plantation in Breda in Saint-Domaingues in 1743. As a young boy, Louverture was so weak and ill that even his parents thought he would not live long, calling his son a sick quack. He was 160 centimeters tall and had a poor appearance, but he had sharp eyes, excellent concentration, and a good personality.

 

He liked books, so he frequented his master's library to read, and through self-taught, he broadened his understanding of politics and the military, and built up basic knowledge about economy. A benefactor appeared to Louverture. The farm's lawyer recognized his extraordinary talents, made him a coachman, and then released him as a freeman. In the meantime, every time he drove his wagon, he turned it into an opportunity to expand his contacts and met almost everyone who would later become a revolutionary comrade. Through this process, I was able to understand and master the French colonial rule, and I came to a realization that no one had ever understood in the colony of Saint-Domain. It was the fact that culture, not skin color, determines behavior. Louverture read the famous writings of the abolitionist Father Lennel, who awaited the slave revolt. “All we need now is a brave leader. where is he Where on earth is the great man who will take responsibility for the lambs who are oppressed, suffering and injustice by the command of heaven?” He read Father Lennell's writings and his heart warmed, and he decided that he himself would become a brave leader. When the French Revolution broke out in 1789, the news reached Saint-Domain, a French colony, and a rebellion began to grow.

 

 

Louverture, who was in his late 40's, joined the rebels and raised his powers with a revolutionary military attack. He and he went to war with the European powers Spain, England, and France one after another and won the war. In 1801, Louverture became governor over the entire island of which he was a slave and promulgated a new constitution. The new constitution abolished slavery, opened all occupations to all races, and guaranteed the de facto independence of the Saint-Domaing. In just 10 years, Louverture and his army have made the unimaginable into a reality.

 

 

 

4. Implications

Slavery has been with mankind since human history. Even in the 1600s, more than half of the world's population were slaves. How could such slavery be ended? Breaking the cycle of slavery was one of mankind's greatest achievements, and the highest peak of them was the Haitian Revolution. In the long history of mankind, there was only one successful slave revolution that gave birth to an independent nation, the Haitian revolution. A man born as a slave wrote a new version of slave culture. What the hell would you do?

Toussaint Louverture transformed from the old name of Haiti, Saint-Domaingue, into a mighty army of mischievous slave soldiers, defeating Spain, England, and France, which were the most powerful military forces in Europe at the time.

 

In the midst of a rebellion, he demonstrated two abilities. First, it showed a commander's ability to effectively lead an army, and second, his ability to persuade and inspire people with a vision for a new way of life. In this way, he transformed slavery into a world-renowned culture.

 

Louverture deeply imprinted the three social values ​​of marriage, honesty, and loyalty into the cultural DNA of slave soldiers, instilling pride in them as elite and elite soldiers. He wanted to make the Haitian revolution a success and eventually build a great country. He wanted to build a new nation based on individual hard work, social morality, public education, religious tolerance, free trade, civic pride and racial equality. Toussaint Louverture did not permanently settle the lifestyle he had dreamed of for his own country. However, it has become a beneficial soil for Western society to transition from a slave culture to a free culture. His influence also reached American soil and inspired the abolitionist John Brown, which led to the Slavery Uprising, the secession of the South and the outbreak of the Civil War, which ultimately led to the emancipation of slavery.

 

“Behind great success is a great culture”

 

Culture should be a unique expression of a leader's personality, beliefs and strategies. The starting point of culture is to determine what we value most and value. Then you need to help everyone in your organization put those virtues into action. Becoming the person we want to be is creating a great culture and being a true leader.