Friday, 14 December 2012

THE HAITI SLAVE REVOLT OF 1791 :

The Slave Rebellion of 1791 in Haiti was a violent conflict between the white colonists and the black slaves which were common in Saint-Dominque. Bands of runaway slaves known as Maroons entrenched themselves in bastions in the colony's mountains and forests, from which they harried white-owned plantations both to secure provisions and weaponry and to avenge themselves against the inhabitants. As their numbers grew these bands sometimes consisting of thousands of people began to carry out hit-and-run attacks throughout the colony. This guerrilla warfare however locked centralized organization and leadership. The most famous Maroon Leader was Francois Macandal, whose six years rebellion  (1751 - 1757 ) left an estimated 6,000 dead. Reportedly a Boko or Voodoo Sorcerer, Macandal drew from the African traditions and religions to motivate his followers. The French burned him at the stake in Cap Francais in 1758.












































Many Haitians point to the Maroons attacks as the first manifestation of a revolt against the French rule and the slave holding system. A slave rebellion of 1791 finally toppled the colony, launched in August of that year, the revolt represented the culmination of a protracted conspiracy among Black Leaders. The slave rebellion in Haiti, this revelation left 10,000 blacks and 2000 whites dead and more than 1000 plantation sacked and razed.

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