Toussaint l’Ouverture

(c. 1743–1803)

   Known originally as François-Dominique Toussaint, Toussaint l’Ouverture was a self-educated former slave who became one of the leaders of the revolt in St. Domingue that overthrew French rule and created the independent nation of Haiti. As the French Revolution unfolded in Europe, slaves in the north of St. Domingue staged their own rebellion in 1791 in a bid to gain their freedom. Although initially uncommitted, Toussaint l’Ouverture joined the rebels when the white planters refused to honor earlier promises to grant voting rights and citizenship to all free men regardless of color. After rising quickly through the ranks of the rebel army and briefly allying himself with invading Spanish forces from the neighboring colony of Santo Domingo, in 1794 l’Ouverture declared himself a French patriot following the decision in Paris to grant freedom to all slaves who fought on behalf of the Revolution.

   From 1794 to 1801, Toussaint l’Ouverture used his forces to end foreign military intervention and capture Santo Domingo on behalf of the French Republic. Shortly thereafter he drafted a new constitution for the colony, which formally abolished slavery and named him governor-general for life. Because these actions threatened Napoleon Bonaparte ’ s plans to restore St. Domingue to its former status as a profitable plantation colony, the newly crowned French emperor ignored Toussaint l’Ouverture’s claims of continued allegiance and launched an invasion in 1802 to restore French authority on the island. After several months of fighting, Toussaint l’Ouverture signed a truce in May 1802 and retired to his farm. Three weeks later he was arrested and deported to France where he died in prison. Less than a year later, his followers defeated the French and declared independence.

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   FURTHER READING:

    Alexis, Stephen. Black Liberator: The Life of Toussaint L’Ouverture . New York: Macmillan, 1949;

    James, C.L.R. The Black Jacobins: Toussaint L’Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution . London: Allison & Busby, 1980;

    Moran, Charles. Black Triumvirate: A Study of L’Ouverture , Dessalines, Christophe . New York: Exposition Books, 1957;

    Ros, Martin. Night of Fire: The Black Napoleon and the Battle for Haiti . New York: Sarpedon, 1994.

   KENNETH J. OROSZ