Study Guides

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils learn about the causes and conduct of the Haitian Revolution before reflecting on its role in the abolition of the British slave trade in 1807.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to explain why enslaved people in Saint-Domingue rose up in revolt in 1791.

Key Notes

• The French colony of Saint-Domingue's economy was based on enslaved people working on plantations.
• Most of the people on Saint-Domingue were enslaved people, but the population was diverse.
• French revolutionary ideas of equality and liberty caused a growth in abolitionist feeling among the colony's people.
• In 1791, a slave revolt broke out on the island, assisted by so-called 'free blacks' and indigenous people.
• Toussaint L'Ouverture emerged as the leader of the Haitian Revolution.

Vocabulary To Learn

• prosperous: refers to being economically successful or wealthy
• grands blancs: this was the name given to the group of French elites who ruled over the colony of Saint-Domingue
• indigenous: the original inhabitants of a specific area
• hierarchy: refers to a system in which members of a society are ranked according to status or authority

Common Mistakes To Avoid

• All the peoples who revolted in Saint-Domingue were enslaved people.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

More Lessons In This Unit

• Abolitionist movements in Britain Study Guide
• Napoleon and the re-establishment of slavery Study Guide
• The 1807 abolition of the slave trade Study Guide
• The role of the Haitian Revolution in the abolition of the slave trade Study Guide
• Toussaint L'Ouverture and the fight for independence Study Guide