How Should We Remember Toussaint Loverture?

Just like some of the greatest founders and leaders of our past such as Abraham Lincoln, Toussaint Louverture had the essential qualities of political skill and moral leadership that have helped shape our modern world. Abraham Lincoln made sure to fight for what he believed was right yet make good political and governmental calls, and Toussaint did the same. Toussaint grew up as a slave and saw the hardships and bad conditions that slaves experienced. He was eventually freed by his owner, but from then on he devoted his life to abolishing slavery. He knew what was right and was willing to fight for it. He showed great leadership when the slaves were in need of organization during the Haitian Revolution, and he was able to rise up to help the people. However, during his leadership, he had to make some tough calls to help keep the government stable, and he was able to make these decisions to keep Saint Domingue organized. His legacy, or all of his work and accomplishments that he completed in his career, was extremely important to the progress of Saint Domingue and abolishing slavery. It is important to remember influential people in history so that we can learn from their successes as well as their failures. We can also learn from their qualities that helped make them successful, and encourage these qualities in leaders to come. Although Toussaint Louverture was a great military commander and liberator of slaves, he should be remembered mainly for his important work as a ruler of Saint Domingue because he had to make wise decisions and showed great leadership.

As a ruler of Saint Domingue, Toussaint Louverture had a huge impact because he helped establish, constitutionalize, and stabilize the island. Toussaint officially became the ruler of Saint Domingue in 1801, however he had been fighting to establish the island since 1789. He was able to show the people that he was a leader with a strong desire for abolishing slavery, and he wouldn't give up until it happened. Once the slaves fought for their freedom and won, the people appointed Toussaint as ruler because of his work as a Chief General. He then and headed the commission that created Saint Domingue's Constitution in 1801. The constitution clearly stated that "there cannot exist slaves in this territory, servitude is therein forever abolished". (C) Slavery was officially abolished and all people were free and equal. However, Toussaint then had a problem; how was the island supposed to make money off of sugar without the hard labor that the slaves had performed? He had to make the decision to keep everyone on the same plantations doing the same work to keep up the economy. However, slaves were free now so, "each cultivator and each worker is a member of the family and is entitled to a share in the revenues". (C) This means that the white plantation owners couldn't treat the slaves cruelly because they were equal, and the slaves must be paid for their work. Former slaves didn't like this idea because they were doing the same work for the same owners, so they didn't feel like free men; they were still forced to work. They started refusing to do work and many ran away from the plantations since they were free and could do what they want. Toussaint was faced with another tough decision as a leader; how should he require work to keep up the prosperity of the island without making people feel like slaves and angering them? He knew that Saint Domingue needed the agricultural work that the former slaves provided, and had to make a decision based on what was best for the island. He enforced the agricultural work from the constitution more strictly in a Proclamation in 1801. Only 4 months had passed since the constitution, and already rebellion had started. Toussaint knew what was best for the island, and made strict laws against the rebellions. For example, he stated that “any manager or driver of a plantation upon which a foreign cultivator (field worker from another plantation) shall have taken refuge shall denounce him to the captain or commander of the section within 24 hours under penalty or one week in prison”. (D) He is saying that the owner of a plantation on which run-away workers from other plantations are hiding will be punished and put in jail as well as the worker. He was trying to convince workers that they still needed to work even though they were free, yet rebellion continued. In fact, Toussaint’s own nephew, Moyse, the commander of the Northern Department, was the leader of one of the major rebellions against Louverture. Moyse as well as many other former slaves believed that the plantations should be split up into any smaller plantations where each man can have their own land instead of only being owned by rich landowners. Moyse and his followers also thought that Toussaint was too friendly with the white landowners and his work requirements were too harsh. So, in October, 1801, Moyse and his men massacred whites all along the Northern Plain. (E) Toussaint was again faced with a tough judgement call, and he had to make the hard decision to squash the rebellion. He ordered Moyse to be arrested and killed with a firing squad for revolting instead of enforcing the law like he was supposed to. Also, many of Moyse’s men were ordered to commit suicide by shooting themselves. (E) He wanted to make this a symbol of defeating the revolution and a reminder to all workers to stay on the plantations and work. As a ruler, this was a wise decision to make because it squashed the rebellion and prevented any more revolts, which helped to stabilize the government and economic prosperity of Saint Domingue. Toussaint knew what had to be done as a ruler, and even if he had to make some harsh decisions, he did what he had to do for the overall well-being of Saint Domingue, which showed his leadership skills as a ruler as well as his knowledge of politics.

Toussaint was secondly important and legendary for his work as a liberator of slaves. Toussaint had a very strong moral leadership quality, and he used it to fuel his devotion to abolishing slavery. Toussaint grew up as a slave and knew that the harsh conditions and treatment of slavery were wrong. He wanted to do what was right and fight against slavery, and he was able to step up as a leader when the slaves were in need of one. Without Toussaint’s leadership and organization of the slave revolt, the slaves could never have been as successful and accomplished as much as they were able to in Saint Domingue. Toussaint quickly became well known as a great General, and eventually he became the Chief General of the slaves. Until 1794, Toussaint first fought against the French Government for the freedom of slaves. However, in 1794, Toussaint stopped fighting against the French and joined the French army. He did this because in 1794, Robespierre temporarily abolished slavery so that the slaves would help them fight off foreign enemies. However, Toussaint switched again to fighting against the French once the enemies were defeated and France reinstated slavery. (A) Although it may seem like Toussaint was constantly switching sides, he was actually being very consistent; he was always on the side of abolishing slavery. We can see Toussaint’s strong ideas in his letter to the French Directory when the Directory tried to reinstate slavery in 1797. He says, “Could men who have once enjoyed the benefits of liberty look on calmly while it is taken from them!… We have known how to confront danger to our liberty, and we will know how to confront death to preserve it”. (B) He is strongly opposing the Directory, and telling them that they can’t expect to let slaves have a taste of liberty and then rip it away from them without them fighting back. There is an implied threat in this letter which is that the slaves are ready to fight to their deaths to preserve their liberty, and they refuse to go back to the terrible times of slavery. Toussaint always kept in mind the ideas of the people and the morally right thing to do, and he was so confident in his morals that he was willing to fight to his death for them. Toussaint succeeded and was able to abolish slavery making Saint Domingue free because he followed his morals and was determined to liberate the slaves.

Another way we should remember Toussaint Louverture, though not as important as his work as a ruler, was his great military skill. Toussaint was a great military commander, and the slave revolt wouldn’t have been able to win so many battles if it wasn’t for Toussaint’s skill. Toussaint initially joined the slave revolt as a doctor, but soon commanded a small group of slave soldiers. (A) Within his small camp of soldiers, Toussaint was able to show his great skill as a commander by training his men in many different military tactics. He trained his men in both guerilla tactics and European shoulder to shoulder tactics so that his men were well prepared. (A) Guerilla tactics is a style of war that uses natural resources around you as a cover to hide yourself, and it usually consists of a quick attack and retreat that surprises the enemy. European shoulder to shoulder method was an open march where the soldiers stand in a line in the open to fight more traditionally. Toussaint became very well-known, and by his military genius, he was able to raise the reputation of the army, and drive the English and Spanish from the island. (F) He was able to win many battles and drive out many enemies from Saint Domingue, and he eventually gained control of it. He was able to make such a great commander because of his superior knowledge of the character of his race, his humanity, generosity, and courage which helped him gain the confidence and trust of all of his soldiers, and helped persuade many to join him. (F) Toussaint’s great training, tactics, and knowledge of his soldiers helped him conquer many enemies and take control of Saint Domingue, making him a great military commander.

Looking back on all of Toussaint’s accomplishments as a ruler of Saint Domingue, liberator of slaves, and military commander, it is clear just how much of an influential person Toussaint Louverture was. Without his hard-work, Saint Domingue wouldn’t have been as stable and prosperous, the slave revolt and ideas of abolishing slavery wouldn’t have been so organized and successful, and the revolt wouldn’t have been able to win as many battles and gain independence. This one man was able to step up in a time of need and lead the slave revolt to success. His leadership and moral and political knowledge shone through in everything he did, and he was extremely successful because of it. When remembering the success of the Haitian Revolution, it is important to remember how much Toussaint Louverture contributed to it through his devotion mainly as a ruler of Saint Domingue, and also as a liberator of slaves and military commander.

Sources:

A: Timeline of Abolition in Saint Domingue- created from various sources

B: Toussaint Louverture, “Letter to the French Directory, November 1797.”

C: The Saint Domingue Constitution of 1801. Signed by Toussaint Louverture in July 1801.
D: Toussaint Louverture, “Proclamation, 25 November 1801.”
E: Madison Smartt Bell, Toussaint Louverture: A Biography, 2007.
F:William Wells Brown, “A Description of Toussaint Louverture,” from The Black Man, His Antecedents, His Genius, and His Achievements, 2nd edition, 1863. Engraving of Toussaint Louverture, 1802.