1799-Toussaint, now the De Facto ruler of Hispaniola, Forms, a constitution. he declares himself governor general for life, with great power.
…yet, he is careful not to claim independence. Saint-Domingue remains a colony of France.
There cannot exist slaves
Servitude is forever abolished
All men are born, live and die free
…and French
'I did oblige my fellow-countrymen to work; it was to teach them the value of true liberty.…The long-term freedom of the people depends on the viability of the economy.'
Return to the fields
emancipated, and paid
…but, return
Agriculture, tranquility, c-c-commerce
The island attained a d-degree of splendor which it had never before s-seen
And all this, I dare to s-say, was my work
They offer to recognize him as king of an independent nation. he refuses-preferring liberation, not power for its own sake...and not while they maintain slavery.
Toussaint trades with the British and the Americans-arms and goods in exchange for sugar, coffee and promises not to invade Jamaica or the American south.
In January 1801, Toussaint breaks the deal, his armies also taking Santo Domingo.
Napoleon, promising not to reinstate slavery, confirms Toussaint's governorship-on condition he not invade the island's eastern half, still under French authority.
If Bonaparte is the first man in France
Toussaint is the first man in the archipelago of the Antilles
'It says that the appetite comes with eating …we must believe that it is so with ambition.'
This man is a nation
1802-Angered by Toussaint's Boldness, Napoleon sends his Brother in law general Charles Emanuel Leclerc to regain control...
...With 20,000 veterans of the Napoleonic wars.
Show no mercy
It is the only thing that will suppress Them
Inspire great terror
'General Leclerc entered the colony without warning, fell upon the inhabitants at their work and shed their blood upon their native soil. I took up arms for the freedom of my color, which France alone proclaimed, but which she has no right to nullify.'