Toussaint Louverture DBQ

When people think of great leaders, they might think of Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Napoleon, but rarely of Toussaint Louverture. All these men possessed qualities of leadership. Toussaint Louverture was born a slave in Saint Domingue (now Haiti). He later became an overseer of fellow slaves. A kindling of unrest was building in the island's slave population, and was soon ignited in 1789 by the spark that was the French Revolution. When the French refused to end slavery in contradiction to the new "Declaration of the Rights of Man", plantations were destroyed, and upper class members were killed in Saint Domingue. Louverture rose as a leader of the rebellion, and by 1793 was leading a 4,000-strong army of rebels against French troops. In 1794, slavery was abolished and the inhabitants of Saint Domingue were allegiant to France once again and Louverture was the most powerful man on the island. All was well until Napoleon rose to power and, planning to reinstate slavery, invaded Saint Domingue in 1802. Toussaint Louverture was captured and imprisoned in France, but Saint Domingue was victorious and celebrated their independence as their great leader was dying in a French jail. So how should we remember Toussaint Louverture? Toussaint Louverture should be remember as a military leader, a liberator of slaves, and a ruler, because he brilliantly outwitted the French Army and taught a ragtag group of rebels how to fight.

Most importantly, Toussaint Louverture was a great military leader. Louverture knew what sacrifices to make in order to protect his people. When Napoleon landed Troops on Saint Domingue in 1802, Toussaint was quick to make the decision to abandon and set fire to towns, and flee to the mountain where they would be at an advantage (Document F). Louverture also trained his men in multiple fighting styles to make them a stronger army. He taught the group of former slaves both Guerrilla and European style fighting. This way, they could fight in open fields they way the French soldiers wanted, but also take them by surprise on rough terrain. (Document A) With his army, Louverture defeated the British and the Spanish. Finally, Louverture kept a strict control over his army. When there was rebellion among his ranks, he quickly executed the rebels. While this may not have been the kindest idea, he went to all means necessary to keep order in his ranks, and there is no denying that he was a strong military leader. (Document E)

Along with being a military leader, Louverture was a liberator of slaves. After slaves burned plantations and killed white and mixed race people when France refused to end slavery in 1789, Toussaint Louverture emerged as a leader. Through his great leadership, he led the revolution that ultimately freed the slaves. With the help of Louverture, the revolution convinced France to abolish slavery. (Document A) When it was feared that France would reinstate slavery, Louverture wrote to the French Directory urging them to keep the freed slaves free. He argued that now that they had tasted freedom, going back to enslavement would be that much more painful. Louverture suggested a threat of war, saying of his people: “If they had a thousand lives, they would sacrifice them all rather than be subjected again to slavery” (Document B) Toussaint knew how his people felt about being re-enslaved, and wanted to defend the right he had secured for them. The colony of Saint Domingue created a constitution in 1801, signed by Toussaint Louverture, that declared the abolition of slavery. (Document C)

Finally, Louverture was a ruler of his people. As mentioned above, he signed the constitution of Saint Domingue, and took action that led to the liberation of his country. Louverture brought together and led the commission that created the constitution of Saint Domingue. This document stated the abolition of slavery and declared Toussaint Louverture “Chief General of the army of Saint Domingue”. (Document C) As General in Chief, Louverture laid down the law. On November 25th, 1801, Louverture created a proclamation to enforce the laws of the constitution. He discussed the punishment of those inciting sedition and those harboring “foreign cultivators”. He also said that all citizens must have a security card.
(Document D) Louverture was a strong leader who made laws that kept his land safe and his people liberated.

Although Toussaint Louverture may have been a dictator at times, he was a great military leader, a liberator of slaves, and a ruler. First and most importantly, Louverture led his army to victory and united a group of rebellious slaves into a military. Louverture freed the slaves of Saint Domingue. Finally, Louverture ruled his people and helped to create the constitution. Toussaint Louverture should be remembered for these things in their respective order. Toussaint Louverture does belong among the likes of Lincoln, Washington, and Napoleon.

Bibliography:

Document A: “Timeline of Abolition in Saint Domingue”, created from various sources.

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

Document C: “The Saint Domingue Constitution of 1801”, signed by Toussaint Louverture in July 1801.

Document D: “Proclamation, 25 November 1801”, Toussaint Louverture,

Document E: “Toussaint Louverture:A Biography”, Madison Smartt Bell, 2007.

Document F: “A description of Toussaint Louverture”, from “The Black Man, His Antecedents, His Genius, and His Achievements”, William Wells Brown, 2nd Section, 1863.