Haitian Revolution Test Review

Today you are going to do some independent review for tomorrow's Haitian Revolution test. If you are sharing a computer, please borrow headphone splitters so you and your partner can both listen. 

 You have two options for review sources. 

Option 1: Listen to a 15 minute podcast about the Haitian Revolution by clicking here:  http://15minutehistory.org/2013/02/06/episode-11-the-haitian-revolution/

• Pros: This podcast is easy to understand and sounds like a conversation between two people. It is split into sections with main ideas posed as questions. There is a transcript so you can follow along with the audio.

• Challenges: The podcast does not perfectly follow the order of the review sheet, so you will have to jump around a little bit. There are few visuals, so learners use pictures to help in understanding will not have a lot to go on. 

Option 2: Watch the 14 minute Crash Course video by John Greene by clicking here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5A_o-nU5s2U

• Pros: Crash course videos are funny and thorough. This video follows the review sheet very closely. There is lots of supplementary information that is engaging.

• Challenges: John Greene speaks quickly, and the editing is super quick. You may have to pause the video a lot in order to capture information on your review sheet. 

Legacy of the Haitian Revolution: Impact on Other Countries

The Revolution may 
have contributed to the end of slavery in other areas, including Chile, Argentina, and Britain’s Caribbean colonies, in the early 1800s. Many Haitian leaders invited anyone escaping slavery to take refuge in Haiti. Haiti also gave support and inspiration to people in Latin America fighting against colonialism.

Examine the chart to the left. You’ll notice that Haiti was the first nation in the Caribbean to win independence, and the first nation to abolish slavery.

The success of the Revolution forced racist Europeans and Americans to reevaluate their vision of a world dominated by white nations. In later years, observers would come to see Haiti as the first nation in the movement against European colonizers in Latin America, Asia, and Africa.

“I can speak of...[Haiti]...not only words of admiration, but words of gratitude as well. She has grandly served the cause of universal human liberty. We should not forget that the freedom you and I enjoy to-day; that the freedom that eight hundred thousand colored people enjoy in
the British West Indies; the freedom that has come to the colored race 
the world over, is largely due to the brave stand taken by the black sons of Haiti ninety years ago.... [S]triking for their freedom, they struck for the freedom of every black man in the world.... She has taught the world the danger of slavery and the value of liberty. In this respect she has been the greatest of all our modern teachers.”
                      —Frederick Douglass, U.S. statesman and former slave, January 2, 1893

Questions to Consider:

• Answer as a comment on the blog. 
• Have a separate comment for each question. 
• Clearly state the question # and your name (and your partner's name if applicable.) 
• Comment on the posts of at least two others. 

1. How important is inspiration in a long struggle? Explain why it is important to have examples and inspiration in a difficult fight. (Honors extension: Did the people of Haiti have inspiration for their fight? Explain your answer.)
2. Do you believe that the world owes something to Haiti for teaching the world about “the danger of slavery and the value of liberty”? Is this debt different from the debt the French might owe? How might the world repay the debt that Douglass speaks of?

Legacy of the Haitian Revolution: Impact on the USA

From the outset of the revolution, nearby slave societies were terrified that the revolt in Haiti would spread to their own communities. From 1792 onwards, laws were passed throughout the Caribbean and North America to restrict immigration from Saint-Domingue. Slave owners feared that former enslaved people from Saint-Domingue would incite revolutions in their societies. They were right to be afraid; there were many slave uprisings in the American South following the events in Saint-Domingue.

Sign marking the site of
Gabriel's Rebellion

One of the most famous was in Virginia in 1800, called Gabriel’s Rebellion. It was led by a literate enslaved blacksmith who had learned of the slave rebellion in Haiti. He secretly met and planned his rebellion in the same way as the slaves on Haiti had. Unlike the slave rebellion in Haiti, Gabriel’s rebellion failed. And because of this rebellion and others like it, slavery became more restrictive in the United States. For example, many states passed laws that forbid slaves to learn how to read.

Another impact of the Haitian Revolution was on the size of the United States! The success of the Haitians led to the growth of the United States. When Napoleon could not re-conquer Haiti, he realized it would be better to get rid of all colonial holdings in the Western Hemisphere. Therefore, he decided to sell the Louisiana Territory to the United States, nearly doubling the size of the US. In an ironic twist, the additional land sold to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase allowed slavery to grow and thrive there for an additional sixty years.

However, the Haitian Revolution also inspired the fight for abolition in the United States. People who were against slavery saw the harsher slave laws in their own countries and became more vocal in their opposition to slavery. People, both black and white, began helping slaves make their way to freedom. A loosely connected network of safe houses developed across the states to help runaway slaves find freedom. This “Underground Railroad” helped many slaves find their way to the northern states or to Canada.

Questions to Consider:

• Answer as a comment on the blog. 
• Have a separate comment for each question. 
• Clearly state the question # and your name (and your partner's name if applicable.) 
• Comment on the posts of at least two others. 

1. Why did the Haitian Revolution make slave owners in the US pass stricter laws?
2. Why were slave owners afraid of having slaves learn to read? How does access to information empower people?
3. Some people claim that things often get worse before they get better. Do you think this is true? How might that explain the development of the Underground Railroad?