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France’s King Louis XIV issued
the Code Noir, or Black Code, a set of codes that outlined France’s position on slavery in its colonies. The Code established that slaves were the personal property of their masters.It also put strict limits on the behavior of slaves.

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Treaty of Ryswick ended a war in Europe that had pitted Spain against France for nine years. The treaty gave France official control of the western third of Hispaniola. France named its new colony Saint-
Domingue.

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This rebellion was a plot too poison all whites in the north of the colony. Rebellion was led by François Makandal, a maroon leader. Makandal intended for the plot to spread to all parts of the colony, mainly through the actions of trusted house slaves.

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The French Revolution created the external conditions that helped Saint-Domingue’s enslaved people lead a successful revolt. Just two years after the start of the French Revolution, the people of Saint Domingue would rise up in the largest slave revolt ever seen in the
history of the world.

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Saint-Domingue Revolt in the North, August 1791

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Saint-Domingue Revolt in the North, August 1791

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This revolt is what was considered the start of the Haitian Revolution.Enslaved people led rebellions on plantations throughout the north, burning fields, sugar processing facilities, and homes. The insurrection quickly grew. Over the next several months, enslaved people on more and more plantations in the north rose up. Armed with torches, guns,
sabers, and makeshift weapons they spread from plantation to plantation. By the end of September, the rebels had burned more than one thousand plantations and killed hundreds
of whites. They had also burned Cap Français, the largest city in the colony, to the ground.

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1794 French Government Abolished Slavery

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1794 French Government Abolished Slavery

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In 1794, the French government abolished slavery in France and all French colonies. This was done, in part, to win the support of the rebels in Saint-Domingue

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Spain, Britain, France and Louverture's troops fought for the colony.  Though later that same
year, Louverture and his troops abandoned the Spanish to join the French. By 1795, facing mounting losses in both Europe and the Caribbean, Spain decided to sign a peace treaty with France. In the Treaty of Basel, Spain gave its
colony Santo Domingo to France and withdrew its troops from the island.

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A civil war between Louverture and Rigaud. It was a violent war but Louverture’s troops
blockaded the southern part of the colony for five months, pushing Rigaud’s army to the brink of starvation. Louverture’s success against Rigaud was
due in part to support from the United States and Great Britain. Louverture signed a trade treaty with both countries, which supplied
him with the funds to feed and equip his troops. In addition, the United States provided ships to help Louverture blockade the south.

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The constitution completely abolished slavery the first place in the modern world to do so-and declared that all citizens had equal
rights. But it also upheld some of the tenets of the colonial system. For example, it outlawed Vodou, the religion practiced by the majority
of people, in favor of Catholicism. According to the constitution, Louverture would be governor general for life of Saint-Domingue.

The constitution did not declare indepen-
dence for Saint-Domingue but instead claimed

that all people in Saint-Domingue were French
citizens.

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French troops led by Bonaparte and  Leclerc arrived to Saint-Domingue to take back the colony. France would have control at first and would force Louverture's top officials to join them. Although by after three months landing Leclerc's army was 1/3 dead. Though later on as Leclerc's army tried to disarm the population and return workers to the plantations, many took to the hills to join guerrilla bands. The resistance involved nearly the entire population of Saint-Domingue. Many of Louverture’s soldiers, now aware of France’s true intentions, deserted the French army and joined the insurrection. These troops used their positions
and weapons to aid insurgent movements. By 1803, Dessailines troops nearly burned everything and it led the French to flee Haiti.France lost as many as thirty thousand troops and one of the most lucrative wealth-producing colonies the world had ever known, and sadly historians estimate that at least 150,000 perished throughout the course of the
Revolution for Saint-Domingue's population.