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Colonial rule and slavery
The Spanish began to enslave the native Taino and Ciboney people soon after December 1492, when Italian navigator Christopher Columbus sighted the island that he called La Isla Española (“The Spanish Island”; later Anglicized as Hispaniola.) The island’s indigenous population, forced to mine for gold, was devastated by European diseases and brutal working conditions, and by the end of the 16th century the people had virtually vanished. Thousands of slaves imported from other Caribbean islands met the same fate.
Frontispiece and title page of Phillis Wheatley's book of poetry, "Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral" 1773. Phillis Wheatley (c. 1753-1784). African American slave. Black woman poet.
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After the main gold mines were exhausted, the Spanish were succeeded by the French, who established their own permanent settlements, including Port-de-Paix (1665) in the northwest, and the French West Indies Corporation took control of the area. Landowners in western Hispaniola imported increasing numbers of African slaves, who totaled about 5,000 in the late 17th century. By 1789, on the eve of the French Revolution, the estimated population of Saint-Domingue, as the French called their colony, was 556,000 and included roughly 500,000 African slaves, 32,000 European colonists, and 24,000 affranchis (free mulattoes [people of mixed African and European descent] or blacks).
Haitian society was deeply fragmented by skin colour, class, and gender. The affranchis, most of them mulattoes, were sometimes slave owners themselves and aspired to the economic and social levels of the Europeans. They feared and spurned the slave majority but were generally discriminated against by the white European colonists, who were merchants, landowners, overseers, craftsmen, and the like. The aspirations of the affranchis became a major factor in the colony’s struggle for independence. A large part of the slave population was African-born, from a number of West African peoples. The vast majority worked in the fields; others were household servants, boilermen (at the sugar mills), and even slave drivers. Slaves endured long, backbreaking workdays and often died from injuries, infections, and tropical diseases. Malnutrition and starvation also were common. Some slaves managed to escape into the mountainous interior, where they became known as Maroons and fought guerrilla battles against colonial militia.
Factional conflict and the rise of Toussaint Louverture
Toussaint Louverture
Toussaint Louverture
Haitian leader Toussaint Louverture, 1805.
Against this background arose a revolution, beginning as a series of conflicts from the early 1790s. Among the causes of the conflicts were the affranchis’ frustrations with a racist society, turmoil created in the colony by the French Revolution, nationalistic rhetoric expressed during Vodou ceremonies, the continuing brutality of slave owners, and wars between European powers. Vincent Ogé, a mulatto who had lobbied the Parisian assembly for colonial reforms, led an uprising in late 1790 but was captured, tortured, and executed.
Explain what you found
The passage discusses the history of colonial rule and slavery in Haiti. It explains that the Spanish enslaved the native Taino and Ciboney people upon their arrival in the late 15th century. The indigenous population was devastated by diseases and harsh working conditions, leading to their virtual disappearance by the end of the 16th century. The French later took over and established settlements, importing African slaves to work on plantations. The population of Saint-Domingue, as the French called their colony, consisted of African slaves, European colonists, and free mulattoes or blacks.
The passage also highlights the deep fragmentation within Haitian society, based on skin color, class, and gender. The affranchis, who were mostly mulattoes, were sometimes slave owners themselves and aspired to the economic and social status of Europeans. They feared the slave majority but faced discrimination from white European colonists. The aspirations of the affranchis played a crucial role in the colony's struggle for independence.
Additionally, the passage mentions the brutal conditions endured by the slaves, with long workdays, injuries, infections, tropical diseases, malnutrition, and starvation. Some slaves managed to escape into the mountainous interior and fought guerrilla battles against colonial militia as Maroons.
Overall, the passage provides a brief overview of the history of colonial rule, slavery, and the social dynamics in Haiti.
Source: "Haiti." Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 12 June 2021, https://www.britannica.com/place/Haiti/Colonial-rule-and-slavery