Good morning Class! As a refresher we covered the somewhat recent Haitian earthquake a few days ago in class and I thought it would only be appropriate that I touch base with you on the blog regarding the subject in more detail. Today we are going to look at a brief history of the Haitian revolution, then look at the revolution from a different perspective. The perspective of a neighboring Dominican citizen, Miguel, who was hearing about the revolution that was happening in Haiti while it was taking place. In history I remind you, it is always important not to only look at the first hand accounts of people experiencing a major event but also those outsiders looking in. Often times those outsiders to the situation can offer a less emotionally involved point of view and more beneficial to your research. Just a tip for all you future historians!

Now Let’s get started:

Background: Three fact refresher on the Haitian Revolution:

1. The Haitian Revolution began in 1791 when the slaves in the country decided they would no longer live under the rule of white abusive slave owners.

2. The Haitian Revolution would last twelve years after the initial start in August 1791.

3. The Haitian Revolution was the ONLY successful widespread slave revolt to happen in the Caribbean.

Now that you are brought back into the mindset of the Haitian Revolution, we will read an excerpt of Miguel’s book where he will tell you of his experiences during this brutally violent time on the island of Hispaniola.

Hello my name in Miguel and I was a survivor of the Haitian Revolution. You may think survival for slaves in the Dominican Republic was easy during the time of the Haitian Revolution because we were not involved in the actual rebellion, I am here to tell you otherwise. During this time if I can remember correctly, my mind has started to fail me with old age, was the worst experience I ever encountered in my seventy-two years of life. I was twelve when the revolution began in 1791 and was delighted when I first heard of the success blacks were having gaining their freedom so close to our backyards. I thought it would only be a matter of time before freedom fever spread to our plantation too and we would come together to gain revenge on the people who had treated us so badly for so long. People who had raped our sisters, stolen our mothers, beaten our fathers in front of us, yes I wanted revenge on these animals. Yet as mother always told me to be patient, this is what I done. I was patient. I listened to all the stories I could of a man named Toussaint, their leader, and how he was guiding them from victory to victory against the slave owners. I knew I too could lead the people of the Dominican Republic as Toussaint did because I done lived here all my life. I knew every side road, maroon community and at least half the slaves in this country. Yet, my time never came. My patients proved to be a weapon against me. As our slave owners heard more and more about the blacks success in Haiti they grew more and more scared we’d do the same thing. They began beaten us more and more throughout the day, with harsher punishments for the smallest signs of rebellion. I know they was scared, I’d be too, we had more hatred in our hearts then anyone anywhere. We were ready to rebel the second we seen a chance, but the didn give us no chance. Many of the larger plantation owners had left at this time, seemed like the just pay someone else to take charge and they return when all this mess was over. I never seen the return though. The people that took over their jobs were much crueler then the original, I guess they felt they had something to prove to us. Non- slaveholding whites, well there really wasn’t many of them and sure not enough to concern us, but if they were rich enough they fled. Everyone could smell what was brewing in the Dominican it was to close to Haiti not too and everyone was scared.

Overtime the Spanish became tired of all the work they had to invest in us to keep us enslaved, we really made it a nightmare. That I recon we just weren’t that important to them anymore. It had been eighteen years since the revolution started in Haiti and Spain was tired of the headaches we was causing them so far away.

By 1822 the Haitians began to occupy our land. For twenty two years those people were in OUR COUNTRY. Even though whites for the first time in my life counldn’t own land most of them left anyway. We were restricted in everyway under the Haitian rule, some of my friends were forbidden to speak our native tounge of Spanish. It was around this time that I grew very ill. They said it was some kind of fever but I know better, it was from the abuse. My body was tired and could not withstand the harsh temperatures of the Dominican any longer.

- Miguel died shortly after finishing this excerpt he wrote to share his experiences with generations to come. I encourage you all to read more accounts of the Haitian Revolution for your book report due in three weeks!

Sources:

Frank Moya Pons. The Dominican Republic: a national history. Princeton : Markus Weiner Publishers, 1995

Knight, Franklin . Modern Caribbean . United States : The University of North Carolina Press, 1989.