How Did African Americans Influence The French Revolution

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During the French Revolution of 1789 the colony of Saint-Domingue, known now as Haiti, furnished two- thirds of France’s commercial interests abroad. The colonial economy was export driven, meaning that it was dominated by agriculture and trade. The colony became France’s richest and the envy of other nations due to the mass production of supplies such as sugar, coffee, indigo, and cotton there. However, by growing and producing such products it played a pivotal role in the demand for African slaves. This allowed political conflict and resentment to take form of an organized revolt by mass of enslaved blacks in the French sugar plantation colony. In August 1791, the outbreak created massive waves for uprising and allowed the slaves to assemble…show more content…
As a matter of fact, the French revolution had a profound impact on the upbringing of the Haitian society. One aspect that was changed by the French Revolutions influence was the roles of the persons of color. The first document to issue this change was the Declaration of the Rights of Men and Citizen, published in 1789, which led several Mulattoes leaders such as Vincent Oge to fight for freedom, equal rights, and citizenship of blacks. In response on May 1971, The National Assembly declared that the free people of color had the right to vote. However, this did not apply to the slaves . As a result of passing this law white colonists began to resist. The denial of the slaves rightfully gained privileges by white authorities became one of the main causes of the 1791 slave…show more content…
This included economical as well as political damages. The end of the battle had caused more than half of the population to lose their lives. The Revolution also left Haiti’s economy in shambles, driving the country into piles of debt . Consequently, one that they couldn’t pay due to the stop of agriculture growth. Their situation worsened when France made Haiti pay to compensate for loss of property in order for them to recognize them as an independent nation. As a result, Haiti’s new republic was weakened by loans. Fortunately, Haiti’s social hierarchy was renewed. This placed the free persons of color, now called Affranci, at the top of the pyramid and the previous slave owners at the very

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