Equality over Everything

Recently in History class we learned about various latin American revolutions, and how people fought for independence. More specifically we studied three; that of Mexico, Gran Colombia, and Brazil. Race was a large part of all three of these revolutions, it is also a big part in many other things that take place in our world. The main point of this lesson was to pinpoint why it’s so crucial to acknowledge human value no matter what race a person is, also to figure out how the events in the Latin American Revolutions were demonstrations of this moral. To start off the lesson in class we filled in a pie chart based on the population of different races in Latin America. This then gave us a better idea of who the majority was at this time. As you can see in the chart below, the least populated group was the Peninsulares, they made up 1%, these people were born in Spain and had migrated to the colonies, they also worked in the higher ranking jobs. While the least populated group was considered the highest rank, the majority of the people were Indian, and they were forced to provide labor for the Peninsulares.  The people were so focused on race at this time that they created a system to tell what you would be labeled according to your heritage, and this would determine your social rank in life. This system was called a Canasta. The particular social rank in Latin America at this time was; Peninsulares, Creoles, Mestizos, Mulattoes, Indians, and African slaves. Next we split into three groups and we each created a timeline for one of the revolutions. After all timelines were done we mixed so that each group now had at least one person from each revolution who could explain their timeline to the others.

This is the make up of different racial groups in this time period in Latin America.

This is the timeline of the Gran Colombia Revolution.

My group chose to study the Gran Colombia Revolution. Once we finished our own timelines, in our new groups we discussed commonalities and differences. Two similarities between the revolutions of Mexico, Gran Colombia, and Brazil are that all three took place and ended around the same time; about 1800-1830. Also all three revolutions took place in the current day Americas. The differences that we came up with in our second groups was that the revolutions were all lead by different people, and the countries also spoke different languages. The three revolutions had differents way of gaining their independence but the problem of racial discrimination took place in all three. The Gran Colombia revolution was lead by Simon Bolivar who was born in Venezuela, and was fighting against discrimination due to birthplace. The Mexican Revolution was launched by a catholic priest by the name of Miguel Hidalgo, he issued the “Cry of Dolores” which called for an end to 300 years of spanish rule, and of course racial equality. The Brazilian revolution was a little different, the cause was new taxes and imperial control, so once there was a gradual transition towards Brazil’s independence Pedro decided that only peninsulares could serve in his cabinet. This is where race played a card in the Brazilian revolution. The bottom line that came out of all of these revolutions is that no matter race, or birthplace people should not be discriminated against. Racial equality has sparked many revolutions and led to many countries independence.

In our world today race is still an issue, you would think that because it has caused so many problems in the past, people would realize that it should not be an issue. Recently there has been many reports of unarmed African American men who have been shot down due to a policemen suspecting they are doing something wrong; when in reality they aren’t and because of their race they have been discriminated against. This issue of race that has costed many people their lives, most definitely still needs to be considered today. People have lost their lives fighting for racial equality and if we still have not achieved that goal then what have those people died for?

How Should We Remember Toussaint Louverture?

Every country has events in their past that have shaped the systems and guidelines in which the people live according to. Some countries even owe their success to a particular person or group of people. In the case of Haiti a lot has been changed, and Toussaint Louverture took part in a large amount of it. The island of Hispaniola was what Columbus called the territory, then the french took over and renamed the western third of the island Saint Domingue, additionally in 1804 the entire island was renamed Haiti. Toussaint was born sometime in the 1740s and served as a slave during the first part of his life. After being granted freedom, Toussaint stepped up as a leader, and changed the lives of many. He led a very successful slave revolution and contributed hugely to the independence of Haiti. This man played multiple roles throughout his life and made a difference based on what he believed was right. The most important parts of Toussaint Louverture’s legacy is that he was a Liberator of slaves, Military Commander, and Ruler of Saint Domingue. Although Toussaint’s accomplishments as Ruler of Saint Domingue are very important his role as Military Commander was more relevant, also his presence as Liberator of slaves is the most important part of his legacy. This is because he powerfully changed people's lives and ended an unfair system.

Most importantly we should remember Toussaint Louverture as a liberator of slaves. In 1791 he served as a doctor to the troops revolting against slavery, and also commanded a small detachment of slave soldiers. (Document A) Later on he stopped the revolt because for a short time France abolished slavery. He used his freedom as an advantage, so he could encourage and lead enslaved people to their freedom. He was also willing to go to extremes to fight for what he thought was right, which in this case is an end to slavery. “Could men who have once enjoyed the benefits of liberty look on calmly while it is taken from them!... We have known how to confront danger to our liberty, and we will know how to confront death to preserve it.” (Document B) In this excerpt from a letter written from Toussaint Louverture to the French Directory he states that the people have already been freed, they have tasted liberty and they would never just standby while it was taken from them; they would fight to the death for what they believe in rather than letting basic rights be taken away from them without a say in the matter. Toussaint also helped write the Constitution of 1801, which clearly states the rights of the former slaves and every man. “All men are born, live, and die free and French….Each cultivator and each member of the family and is entitled to a share in the revenues.” (Document C) In this document Toussaint Louverture states that former slaves are entitled to freedom, and that the workers are to be treated equally to a member of the family that would do work on the plantation. In the Constitution the emphasis is on the fairness and family like aspect of the new system, how all people should be treated equally. Toussaint Louverture was a free man, so he used his talents to the advantage of others by fighting for an end to slavery; he should first and foremost be remembered as a liberator of slaves.

Toussaint Louverture had many roles as a leader, one of them was being a military commander. He was a large part of the success of the Haitian revolution and his contribution impacted the revolt in many ways. When his own nephew challenged and rebelled against his new policies regarding plantation farming, he did what he would do to any other, as if Moyse wasn’t a relative of his. “Toussaint ordered Moyse’s arrest and had him confined in the fort of Port de Paix…. Brought before a firing squad, Moyse himself gave the order to fire.” (Document E) Toussaint Louverture was doing what needed to be done to oppress the revolts. He needed to set an example no matter if the population liked his way of controlling or not. When Napoleon decided Saint Domingue was to be taken over, and the people knew his probable goal was to reinstate slavery, Toussaint used war tactics that were not familiar to the Europeans. “The French, however, [landed], but they found nothing but smouldering ruins, where once stood splendid cities. Toussaint and his generals at once abandoned the towns, and betook themselves to the mountains, those citadels of freedom in St. Domingo, where the blacks have always proved too much for the whites.” (Document F) Toussaint burned down the city the French were coming to invade, and with his army retreated to the mountains. This caused the french army to follow them and have a disadvantage; Toussaint and his men would then be able to use guerrilla style warfare; a style not known to their opponents. Toussaint used his knowledge of military skill in an appropriate way. He set an example and made sure he could control the rebellions rising up; this may have caused some people to dislike him but he still was militarily successful.

Toussaint Louverture was also a Ruler of Saint Domingue, this role was one that contributed to his success as a leader. In the Saint Domingue Constitution of 1801, which was signed by Toussaint Louverture, its states that “The colony being essentially agricultural cannot suffer the least disruption in the works of its cultivation.” (Document C) He approves this statement which tells everyone that because the economic system of Saint Domingue was so reliant on agricultural works, this was to be the main focus. He also proclaimed that “Any individual… tending to incite sedition shall be brought before a court martial…. Any manager or driver of a plantation upon which a foreign cultivator shall have taken refuge shall denounce him to the captain or commander of the section within 24 hours under penalty of one week in prison.” (Document D) These proclamations were building off of the statement made in the constitution of 1801. Toussaint was willing to be more harsh with the guidelines and punishments because what was right for the island may not be what the people may have thought. Toussaint Louverture was a forceful but effective ruler, and always had the best in mind for the people when it came down to his role as Ruler of Saint Domingue.

Although Toussaint Louverture was a skilled military commander, and a respected Ruler of Saint Domingue, his major accomplishments lie under the category of Liberator of slaves. He took it upon himself to stand up for the enslaved people by writing a letter to the French directory daring them to reinstate slavery in Saint Domingue, and outlining their rights in the Constitution of 1801. Though he was not always kind in the way enforced his rules, everything he did was to make life better for the slaves. He was a very successful leader, and he was a large part in getting Haiti’s independence granted to them.

Sources

Document A: Created from various sources.

Document B: Toussaint Louverture, "Letter to the French Directory, November 1797."

Document C: The Saint Domingue Constitution of 1801. Signed by Toussaint Louverture in July 1801.

Document D: Toussaint Louverture, "Proclamation, 25 November 1801." 

Document E: Madison Smartt Bell, Toussaint Louverture: A Biography, 2007.

Document F: William Wells Brown, "A Description of Toussaint Louverture," from The Black Man, His Antecedents, His Genius, and His Achievements, 2nd edition, 1863. Engraving of Toussaint Louverture, 1802.

A Wind of Revolution

This week in History class we learned about the different revolutions in Europe in 1830 and 1848. The goal of this lesson was to tell whether or not these revolutions were complete and utter failures as many historians have claimed. To be able to achieve this goal we had to study 6 very important revolutions: the Decembrist Revolt, the French Revolution of 1830, the French Revolution of 1848, the Frankfurt Assembly, and finally the Hungarian Revolution. Not only did we need to know about the revolutions, but we also had to find out what about them made them successes or failures. To really understand which qualities would fall under success and which would fall under failure; we made a scale. My group decided that to be an utter failure not one of the goals would have been reached and nothing would have changed. Next, if a small amount of progress was made, but no real influential changes have taken place then the revolution would be a moderate failure. A neutral revolution would be when a compromise is made between the revolutionary ideals and the current system. When most things are changed from the revolution but not all the demands of the people are met, it would be classified as a moderate success, and finally for the revolution to be a complete success every goal and demand has been met, without major setbacks. After this we were split into different groups, assigned a revolution, and given some sources to find out more about our revolution. From here we determined the basic facts, such as; what country it took place in, what year, the goals of the revolution, who the opponent was, the outcome, and some reasons for the success or failure. Then we were to identify using evidence, which primary sources from our handouts fell under the categories of outcome, opponent, and goals. Once we finished this each group created a survey monkey to help our classmates learn about each individual revolution.

My group’s revolution was the French Revolution of 1830. Obviously the country this revolution took place in was France, and the year it occurred in was 1830. The goals of this revolution were to extend suffrage, or establish voting rights, to win power for the middle class citizens, and to gain a constitution that would recognize the rights of the people. The opponent of this revolution was Charles X, he was the younger brother of Louis XVIII who died in 1824. “The liberty of the periodical press is suspended.…In consequence no newspaper or periodical or semi-periodical work, established or to be established, without discrimination as to the matters which shall be treated therein, shall appear, either in Paris or in the departments,”. This quote from The July Ordinances, July 25, 1830 By Charles X and His Ministers is telling the public that all rights they had to voice their opinions are now abolished. Charles X angered the people when he did this, he was attempting to keep the people in check, and to make sure that ideas of revolt couldn't spread. The outcome of this revolution was the people of France receiving a new king named Louis Philippe, who was also referred to as “The Citizen King”. “The Duke of Orleans [Louis Philippe] is a prince devoted to the cause of the Revolution…The Duke of Orleans is a citizen king, …It is from the French people that he will hold the crown.” This is an excerpt from Theirs, Adolphe.2 “Orleanist Manifesto..., and it tells that the new king was voted on. Louis Philippe extended suffrage but only for the wealthier of Frances citizens. Under his reign the upper bourgeoisie prospered, and the majority of the people were still unable to vote. The French Revolution of 1830 falls under the category of either a neutral revolution or moderately successful revolution; things were changed for the better, but not necessarily for everyone that was asking for the change. Click here to take our group's Survey Monkey.

This is a screenshot of the answers my classmates gave when answering this question,
clearly the majority understood where the French Revolution of 1830 fell on the scale of success and failure.

The European revolutions of 1830 and 1848, overall were more so successes than failures, the only true failure seemed to be the Decembrist revolt. The French Revolution of 1830 was a revolution that was trying to gain rights for middle class and to give people the right to vote, this goal was achieved. Not necessarily for all classes but for some. “It is from the French people that he will hold the crown.” This quote from Theirs, Adolphe.2 “Orleanist Manifesto... is saying that Louis Philippe obtained the crown, because of the french people that decided he was fit for it. The Hungarian Revolution was more of a neutral war; this was a battle that called for the countries independence and an outline of the people’s basic rights. The outcome of the Hungarian revolution was that for some time the independence was granted as told in this excerpt from Hungarian Declaration of Independence, April 1849; “WE, the legally constituted representatives of the Hungarian nation, assembled in Diet, do by these presents solemnly proclaim, in maintenance of the inalienable natural rights of Hungary, with all its dependencies, to occupy the position of an independent European State”. Shorty after the claims were taken back, but the goal of the revolution was achieved for an amount of time. Many historians have concluded that the European Revolutions of 1830 and 1848 were overall failures, but I think differently.