The Age of Napoleon Podcast Episode 74: The Age of Toussaint
Dec 23, 2020
Explore the brutal conditions of slavery in 18th century Haiti, the life of revolutionary leader Makandal, and the role of coachmen in Haitian society. Discover the contradiction of equality in the colonies and the rebellion of the mixed-race community. Experience the exhilaration of freedom through the uprising of ex-slaves and the formation of guerrilla bands.
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Economic Power Built On Brutality
- Haiti (Saint-Domingue) was France's richest colony and central to French commerce because of sugar exports.
- That wealth depended on an extreme, brutal slave system which shaped every aspect of colonial life.
Toussaint's Early Life On Breda
- Toussaint was born on Breda plantation, given the name Toussaint Abrada, and grew up sickly but studious.
- He learned from Jesuit priests and African herbalists while remaining legally a slave.
High Death Rates Shaped Slave Policy
- Haitian slavery was unusually lethal because continual importation of enslaved Africans made planters indifferent to working people to death.
- Life expectancy for many enslaved workers was shockingly low compared with other Atlantic slave systems.