All Saints\' day Louverture

François-Dominique All Saints' day Louverture , born the May 20th 1743, died in captivity the April 8th 1803 with the Extremely of Joux, with It Cluse-and-Mijoux (Doubs), largest directing Haitian Révolution, became thereafter governor of Saint-Domingue (the name of Haiti at the time).

It is recognized to have been the first Noir leader to have overcome the forces of a European colonial empire in its own country. Born slave, being dissociated out of weapons and having carried out a victorious fight for the release of the Haitian slaves, it became an historical figure of importance in the movements of emancipation of the Blacks in America.

Origin and youth

His/her grandfather, Gaou-Guinou, would be a African born with the Dahomey (current Bénin), resulting from a royal family of Allada. Off-set with Santo Domingo, his/her father Hippolyte Gaou was sold like slave to the manager of the dwelling of the Count de Bréda, in the province of the Northern , close to the Cape-French. It is in the plantation of this field that was born All Saints' day, then taking the name of its owner, Bréda, like wanted it the use. Its Master, Mr. Baillon of Libertat, was relatively human. He encouraged All Saints' day to learn how to read and write and made of it its coachman and the commander (i.e. the foreman) of the dwelling.

All Saints' day, in spite of a small size and an ugliness which was worth to him the nickname of Fatras-Stick , gained a reputation of excellent rider and of doctor breaks into leaf , controlling medicine by the plants. He married a free woman of the first name of Suzanne of which he had two wire: Isaac and Midsummer's Day. He adopted also a first wire of Suzanne, the Placide mongrel, and had a many illegitimate descent. He was freed in 1776, at the 33 years age. According to the colonial files, it rented a farm of Café of a ½ about fifteen hectares with thirteen slaves.

Revolted combined in Spain

The French revolution caused enormous repercussions in the island. Initially, the large White (rich owners, administrators and aristocrats local) considered independence, the small White (country, craftsmen and employees) asserted the equality with the first and the free coloured persons.

In August 1791, the slaves of the plain of North revolted following the Cérémonie of Wood-Caiman. All Saints' day Bréda became assistance-of-camp of Georges Biassou, ordering slaves who, taken refuge in the oriental party of the island, were combined in 1793 with the Spaniards who occupied it to reverse slave French. All Saints' day was initiated with the art of the war by the Spanish soldiers. With the head of a troop of more than three thousand men, it gained in a few months several victories. It consequently was called Louverture . He became general of the armies of the king of Spain.

The August 29th 1793, All Saints' day launched its proclamation where it was presented in the form of a black leader:

“Brothers and friends. I am All Saints' day Louverture; my name was perhaps made known to you. I undertook the revenge on my race. I want that freedom and the equality reign in Saint-Domingue. I work to realize them. You, brothers link, and fight with me for the same cause. Uproot with me the tree of slavery. ”
Votre very humble and very obeying servant, All Saints' day Louverture, General of the armies of the king, for the good public.

But it excited the jealousy of its chiefs, Jean-François and Biassou, which fomented a plot from which it escaped, but where it lost his young Jean-Pierre brother. The little of attention which the Spaniards showed him completed to convince it that those did not intend to abolish slavery.

The situation was different with the French authorities. The police chiefs of the French Republic, Leger-Happiness Sonthonax and Etienne Polverel, had indeed arrived at Saint-Domingue in September 1792 to guarantee the laws of nations of color. The island was invaded by the British navy and the Spanish troops, to which many white Royaliste S. had joined on August 29th, 1793, the same day as the proclamation of All Saints' day, Sonthonax émancipa the whole of the slaves so that those unite with the Revolution. The 16 Pluviôse year II (February 4th 1794), the Convention ratified this decision in abolishing slavery in all the territories of the French Republic.

The general of the Republic

Via the general-in-chief Etienne Laveaux, the police chiefs tried to convince All Saints' day to join the Republic. They are only the 5 May 1794, which All Saints' day carried out a volte-face. The army under its command - which counted black soldiers, Mulâtre S and even some white - demolished in fifteen days its old Spanish allies and removed ten cities.

In one year, it drove back the Spaniards at the Eastern border of the island and overcame the troops of its former chiefs who had remained to them faithful. In July 1795, the Convention raised it with the rank of brigadier general.

In March 1796, it saved Laveaux, abused for its rigor at the time of a revolt of mulattos to the French Cape. In reward, this one appointed it general lieutenant of the colony of Santo Domingo. The Directoire raised it with the rank of major general in August 1796.

Walk towards the absolute capacity

Its talent was not only soldier. Everywhere where it passed, it confirmed the emancipation of the slaves. It organized the restarting of the plantations by inviting the colonists to return, including those which had fought against the Republic, and this, in spite of the opinion of the representatives of authority French.

The fight against the British was more difficult. All Saints' day could not dislodge them of North and the West. In the South, the general mulatto André Rigaud contained them courageously, but without pushing back them.

The return of Sonthonax as civil police chief in May 1796 constituted a shade with the ambition of All Saints' day to only direct. It succeeds in in September 1796 making elect Lavaux and Sonthonax like deputies near the Directoire so returning them in metropolis: the first as of October, the second in August 1797.

To reassure France, it sent his two oldest sons, Isaac and Placide, to study in Paris at the School of Liancourt (renamed “Institute of the colonies”) under the direction of the Coisnon abbot.

Thanks to the weapons arrived with the commission of 1796, All Saints' day had an army of 51.000 men (including 3.000 white). It took again the fight against the British and was some successes, but not decisive. Tired of such a resistance, the British decided to negotiate. All Saints' day could draw aside from the negotiations the last civil police chief Julien Raimond, like the last general-in-chief Hédouville, arrived in March 1798. August 31st, 1798, the British gave up Saint-Domingue.

To get rid of Hédouville, All Saints' day alerted the blacks of North. The general having ordered the disarmament of the blacks, those revolted on October 16th, 1798, kind Hédouville to be re-embarked precipitately for the metropolis with many white.

Delivered of any control, All Saints' day was turned against its rival, the chief of the mulattos Rigaud. Benefitting from an incident, it caused it. Rigaud engaged the hostilities in June 1799. All Saints' day, assisted by Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Henri Christophe overcame the troops of its adversary in one year at the price of a blood bath.

Decided to give the economy on feet, All Saints' day published on October 12th 1800 a payment renewing the forced labor of the blacks on the plantations such as it had been organized by Sonthonax, Laveaux and Hédouville. There were many dissatisfactions. At the end of October 1801, the blacks of North revolted, going until cutting the throat of the white. In a few days, All Saints' day dispersed revolted and made shoot thirteen leaders, of which its own nephew, the Moïse general. To rejoin the white with its cause, he pointed out the emigrants and proclaimed the Catholicisme official religion.

Then, wanting to unify the island, it turned to the Spanish part of the island which it conquered in one month, in January 1801.

May 9th 1801 it proclaimed a Constitution separatist which gave him the full powerss with life.

End of the adventure

In spite of the proclamations of honesty of All Saints' day Louverture, Bonaparte worries about the risk to lose a profitable colony, and yields to the arguments great landowners and traders who want to restore slavery. It then decides to send his brother-in-law, the general Leclerc, to take again the control of the island to the head of a troop of 30.000 men.

January 20th, 1802, the Expédition of Santo Domingo unloads on the island and goes to the attack of the partisans of All Saints' day Louverture. In spite of some successes, the combat quickly becomes unequal and certain on its officers decide to rejoin the camps of the French. May 7th, 1802, Louverture signs with Cape-Haitian with the French a treaty which stipulates in particular that slavery will not be restored on the island. It is withdrawn then in its field of Ennery.

Three weeks later, on a denunciation of Dessalines, Leclerc stops All Saints' day Louverture, suspected of plot and rebellion, like its family. The vessel the Heroes the conduit then in France. August 25th, 1802, All Saints' day is imprisoned with the Fort of Joux, in the Doubs, where it maintained will be insulated and subjected to repeated interrogations. It will die there of a pneumonia the April 7th 1803. Its family was exiled with Bayonne, then with Agen.

Some of its partisans judged like dangerous or likely to create agitation were sent in France. Those which were not assigned with residence were imprisoned, in particular in Corsica. They constituted later part of the men and officers of the Bataillon of the Black Pioneers.

In spite of the exile of Louverture, the revolt continued under the orders of Dessalines and the French (carried out by the general Donatien de Rochambeau) had to evacuate French Cape in November 1803 after the Bataille of Vertières. Dessalines proclaimed the independence of Haiti on January 1st, 1804.

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