The Haitian revolution is considered one of the most exciting and successful slave rebellions globally: It is one of the only well-known uprisings that resulted in the creation of the now Haiti, an independent nation. The Haitian revolution occurred from 1791 to 1804. Notably, by 1803, it succeeded by not only putting to end slavery but also the French colony. It was one of the most complex revolutions as it consisted of several other revolutions happening simultaneously, most of which were influenced by the French revolution in 1789. The revolutions consisted of new concepts concerning human rights, citizenship, and involvement in the government. The Haitian revolution had a series of conflicts, which then led to devastating effects.
The conflicts in Tahiti consisted of Haitian slaves, both French and British armies, colonists, and other parties. Haitians eventually overpowered French colonists and gained independence. Briefly, the Spanish began to enslave native Ciboney and Taino people after Christopher Columbus’ (an Italian navigator, who named the place as Hispaniola) influence ( Newbury, 2017) . People were forced to work in Gold mines and were devastated by European’s poor working conditions as well as diseases. Thousands were then imported to the mining site. Afterward, the Spanish were succeeded by the French who then took over the control of the region. African slaves were then introduced to the place totaling to around 5000 in number.
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By 1789, Saint-Domingue had about 556,000 people with around 500,000 African slaves ( Nathanson, & Young, 2015) . The rest of the people were European colonists and Affranchis (Mullattoes), who were considered free as they were a mixture of Europeans and Africans. Overall, the Haitian society was fragmented by skin color as well as gender and class. A series of conflicts arose in the 1790s mostly caused by frustrations and brutalities. Rebellion arose in 1791 when French revolutionary government approved citizenship to Affranchis who were wealthy, but Europeans in Haiti disregarded the law. A fight then broke out between the Affranchis and Europeans, and then thousands of slaves joined in the war. On January 1804, the island was declared independent. Afterward, the industrial revolution took precedence.
Liberalism
The time between 18 th and 19 th century was a time characterized by enlightenment and revolutions in Tahiti. Classical liberal ideas then emerged. Therefore, Haitian slaves embraced the changes. The spread of radical ideologies made slaves in Tahiti to take up the liberal ideals and freedom, which then led to a shockwave of social, economic, and political changes. It was a time when slavery was prominent and racial. Socially, it was not accepted to see people of African descent as equal. Most French nationals believed that they brought Africans to the Island to be purely slaves and nothing else. However, with the uprising of liberalism ideologies, black men and women rose up and overcame French diseases and brutality.
The French colonists were demoralized, and the social order of black men and women went from that of submission to self-governance. The social effect of the revolution led to freedom, which was eventually good for the freed men and women in Tahiti. However, the fear of black revolt was then felt in independent American colonies. People began revolting against brutality and slavery. As a result, the economy suffered as the number of workers in the sugarcane plantation reduced. The industries that relied heavily on black slaves could not withstand the lack of labor. Moreover, the US Congress cut off the trade with Tahiti in 1806, which decimated the already falling economy.
A few political changes were as well felt. King Louis xiv passed a black code in the year 1685, which offered partial restrictions to slaves. It angered French colonists, which then made them give blacks rights equivalent to that of themselves. The laws then lacked application in 1789, which then angered blacks to start revolting against brutality. On the whole, the Haitian revolution brought about liberalism, anti-slavery attitude, and enlightenment ideals all over the world.
Consequences of the Industrial Revolution
There were significant effects of industrialization in Tahiti, which then improved living standard of people. The most considerable revolution was to do with steel industry, which emerged in the nineteenth century. Rails and roads became one of the main things that needed improvement ( Emily, 2011). As a result, entrepreneurs in the country could easily move goods since there were ample means of transportation. Even though the end of slavery jeopardized the agricultural sector immediately it was abolished, the gradual effect of embracing the mechanized method of using machines, products of the steel industry, made it easier for bulky agricultural produce.
Second, there was a significant shift from agrarian-centric economy to an industrialized one. Consequently, many people got employed in various industries with better pay than during the agricultural period. Thousands of vacancies emerged, and people were hired to work in most of these industries. The impact was apparent as it improved the economy of the country.
Third, the dehumanizing nature of industry work conditions and exploitation of child labor was evident. Even though there were merits of industrialization during 19 th and 20 th century, problems emerged, which then needed to be addressed. Concerning the case of children, the abolishment of slavery made employers to exploit children as a means to acquire cheap labor. It was an abuse of the highest order, and it went on for some time before regulations were realized. Other negative impacts included obliteration of the environment, especiall as the toxic substances emerging from steel industries contributed immensely to it.
Conclusion
Tahitian revolution marked the start of black’s revolt globally. Liberalism became prominent in most of the American colonies, and this created a lot of fear and anxiety. Anti-slavery rebellion in Tahiti resulted in a declaration of the country as independent, which then instigated the emergence of textile industries among others. As a result, Tahiti suffered an economy downturn as there were not people to work on various industrial premises. Socially, Tahitians gained independence and autonomy, which they so desired during the revolution.
References
Andrews, N. J., & Sessions, J. E. (2015). The Politics of Empire in Post-Revolutionary France. French Politics, Culture & Society , 33 (1), 1-10.
Nathanson, P., & Young, K. K. (2015). Replacing misandry: A revolutionary history of men . McGill-Queen's Press-MQUP.
Newbury, C. W. (2017). The History of the Tahitian Mission, 1799-1830, Written by John Davies, Missionary to the South Sea Islands: With Supplementary Papers of the Missionaries . Hakluyt Society.
Emily, J. M. (2011). Trading Nature: Tahitians, Europeans, and Ecological Exchange.
