The colony, called Saint Domingue, languished for a while under the restrictions imposed on its trade by the mother country, but after 1722, when these were removed, it attained a high degree of prosperity, and it was in a flourishing state when the French Revolution broke out in 1789. The population was then composed of three classes, - whites, free people of colour (mostly mulattos), and slaves. The free people of colour, some of whom were wealthy proprietors, demanded that the principles of the Revolution should be extended to them; this was opposed by the whites, who had previously engrossed all the public honours, and the two classes were already violently inflamed against each other when the national convention (1791) passed a decree giving to the mulattos all the rights of French citizens. The whites adopted at once the most violent measures, and appealed to the mother country for a reversal of the decree. But when the mulattos took up arms for their defence at the time of the insurrection of the plantation slaves (August 23, 1791), the whites endeavoured to conciliate them. In the meantime the home Government reversed the decree granting them political rights. The mulattos now took part with the blacks, and a most destructive war raged for several years, during which each party seemed to study to outdo the other in acts of cruelty. Commissioners were sent out from France, with full power to settle the quarrel, but could effect nothing. In 1793 the abolition of slavery in the colony was proclaimed. In September of the same year a British force invaded the island; but, though some partial advantages were gained, the climate made sad havoc among the troops, and prevented any solid success. Toussaint L'Ouverture, the leader of the blacks, came to the aid of the French, the home Government having in the meantime ratified the act of the commissioners in freeing the slaves. He was made commander-in-chief of the French Army, and in 1798 forced the British to evacuate the island. By the treaty with Spain, made at Basel in 1795, France had acquired the title to the entire island, which now received the name of Saint Domingue. In 1801 Toussaint, then master of the whole country, adopted a constitutional form of government, in which he was to be president for life. Bonaparte, then first consul of France, determined to reduce the colony and restore slavery, sent to Hayti 25,000 troops under General Leclerc. The blacks were compelled to retire to the mountains, but kept up a desultory war under Toussaint's able leadership. Leclerc, wearied of the war, cajoled the negro chiefs into a suspension of arms, and having invited Toussaint to an interview, seized him and sent him to France, where he died in prison in 1803. The blacks, infuriated by this act of treachery, renewed the struggle under Dessalines with a barbarity unequalled in the previous contests. The French, further embarrassed by the appearance of a British fleet off the coast, now gradually lost ground, and in 1803 agreed to evacuate the island. On the 30th of November of that year, 8,000 French troops surrendered to the British squadron. In 1804 independence was declared, and the aboriginal name of Hayti was revived. Dessalines was made governor for life, but in October of the same year he proclaimed himself emperor, and was crowned with great pomp. He soon began to display the cruelty of a tyrant, and in 1806 he was assassinated. His position was now contended for by several chiefs, one of whom, Christophe, established himself in the north, while Pétion took possession of the southern part. The Spaniards re-established themselves in the eastern part of the island, retaining the French name, modified to Santo Domingo. Civil war now raged between the adherents of Christophe and Pétion, but in 1810 hostilities were suspended. Christophe declared himself king of Hayti under the title of Henry I.; but his cruelty caused an insurrection, and in 1820 he committed suicide. Pétion had died in 1818, and was succeeded by General Boyer, who, after Christophe's death, made himself master of all the French part of the island. In 1821 the eastern end of the island proclaimed its independence of Spain, and Boyer taking advantage of dissension's there, invaded it, and in 1822 the dominion of the whole island fell into his hands. Boyer held the presidency of the new government, which was called the republic of Hayti, until 1843, when he was driven from the island by a revolution. In 1844 the people of the eastern end of the island again asserted their independence, and established the Dominican Republic, and from that date to the present time the two political divisions have been maintained; the Spanish made an effort to re-establish their authority in Santo Domingo by landing troops there in 1861, but withdrew in 1863. In Hayti several presidents rapidly succeeded each other, but in 1846 Soulouque, a black who had been a slave, was elected to the chief magistracy. He attempted to reconquer the eastern part of the island, but was defeated. In 1849 he assumed the title of Faustin I, emperor of Hayti, and in the following year was crowned. He was deposed in 1858, and a republic was proclaimed under the presidency of Fabre Geffrard. His administration was unpopular, and in 1867 he was obliged by an insurrection to abdicate and flee to Jamaica. He was succeeded in the presidency by Sylvestre Salnave. An insurrection broke out against him in 1868, and after a struggle of two years he was captured and shot. On May 29, 1870, Nissage-Saget was elected president, and General Boisrond-Canal on July 17, 1876. ( 1880; The army consists nominally of 6,828 men, mostly infantry. ) Back to Table of Contents: Booklet No. 6, Haiti 1793-1916 Back to El Dorado List of Issues Back to Master Magazine List © Copyright 1998 by The South and Central Military Historians Society This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com