The Haitian Revolution, 1791-1804: Slave Insurgency as a Background to the Abolition of Slavery

This paper examines the indocility of slaves in the fight against slavery. It re-establishes slave insurgency in the Caribbean as a key precursor for the promulgation of the Acts of Emancipation by European nations in the 19th century. The slave revolution in Haiti and insurgencies generally in other states were significant precipitators of the liberation of slaves. Unfortunately, while discussing the abolition of the slave trade, studies continue to expend much attention on initiatives such as humanitarian movements and Christian religious organisations, thereby relegating the influence of slave insurgency in Haiti to the background. Besides, one area of neglect in the reconstruction of black history, and the slave trade and its abolition, is the significance of the Haitian revolution in the emancipation process. Explanations on the emancipation of slaves have significantly excluded the Haitian insurgency. Therefore, it is the position in this paper to re-appraise the importance of slave insurgency, particularly the Haitian revolution, in the emancipation of slaves and the subsequent abolition of the slave trade. The study seeks to establish slave insurgency and its attendant wanton destruction of lives and property, as a plausible background narrative for the Acts of Emancipation. The study reveals that African slaves were not docile as they fought and revolted against human travesty. The conclusion here is that the ultimate emancipation of slaves significantly had its roots in the Haitian insurgency. Keywords: Slave Insurgency, Haitian Revolution, Acts of Emancipation, Africa, Caribbean