Haitian Revolution

Definition

The uprising of enslaved people in Saint-Domingue that began in August 1791 and led to the independent state of Haiti, declared on 1 January 1804. It ended slavery in the colony and was the first state in the Americas founded by formerly enslaved people. Leaders included Toussaint Louverture. The revolution frightened slaveholding powers, inspired others and shaped debates across the Atlantic world. See also: abolition, maroon, and the guide Resistance and Rebellion in the Atlantic World.