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Macandal's Mosquito Legend
- The maroon leader Macandal allegedly transformed into a mosquito as he was burned, becoming a lasting legend of resistance.
- Haitians used the Macandal myth to symbolize that revolutionary spirit cannot be fully destroyed.
Louverture's Pragmatic Republicanism
- Toussaint Louverture positioned himself as both a defender of Black liberty and a pragmatic governor preserving the colony's economy.
- He declared slavery ended yet framed the colony as 'free and French', creating tensions with radical abolitionists and metropolitan power.
Louverture: Polyglot and Mythic Leader
- Toussaint could read, write, speak multiple languages, and navigated Catholic and Vodou communities, making him a formidable and mythologized leader.
- Contemporaries claimed he 'never sleeps' and had almost supernatural stamina and presence.