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The Role of Maroon Communities in the Haitian Revolution

Introduction:

The Haitian Revolution, which took place between 1791 and 1804, can be considered one

of the most significant processes in the history of the Caribbean and the New World. Crucially, it

was the only successful slave uprising in the Americas and paved the way to the formation of

Haiti as a free nation in 1804. The Haitian revolution occurred on the island of Saint-Domingue,

a French colony that was a major sugar producer with African slaves. Thus, social oppression

and the desire for freedom turned out to be the primary causes of the revolution that took place;

however, the participation of Maroons, who were escaped slaves who created their own

settlements, cannot be overlooked. These Maroon communities did not only combat colonial

forces but also played an important role in the strategic and conceptual structure of the Haitian

Revolution. The following paper is aimed at discussing the involvement of Maroon communities

in the revolution and assessing their influence on the cause of the movement, as well as their part

in the fight against colonialism.

Secondary Source:

Eddins, Crystal. “Maroon movements against empire: The long Haitian revolution, sixteenth-

nineteenth centuries.” Journal of World-Systems Research, vol. 28, no. 2, 2022, pp. 219-241.

https://doi.org/10.5195/jwsr.2022.1108

In the academic article, Eddins (2022) gives a detailed account of the Haitian Revolution

while focusing on the Maroon background. Maroons were the escaped Negro slaves who built

their own societies, and they contributed immensely in the fight against colonialism. Eddins

looks at how these movements sought to alter the established order of France, Spain and England

in the period between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. Through their portrayal of Maroon

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agency and strategies, Eddins thus stresses the Maroons’ ongoing struggle that led to the demise

of slavery and colonialism in Haiti. This paper provides useful information on the grassroots

level of the revolution and underlines the role of Maroons in the Caribbean history.

Primary Source:

Louverture, Toussaint. “Proclamation, 29 August 1793.” Toussaint Louverture: A Black Jacobin

in the Age of Revolutions, edited by Charles Forsdick and Christian Høgsbjerg, Pluto Press,

2017, pp. 86-88.

Expressing himself before the citizens of Saint-Domingue, in this proclamation,

Toussaint Louverture is focused on the struggle for liberty and the perils of slavery. Thus,

Louverture’s words convey the spirit of determination and the ideas of a strategic leader who

will lead the revolution. This primary source is especially interesting due to the fact that it

provides a look into the mind of the revolutionary leader and the rationale behind the Haitian

revolution and the fight for liberty. This paper shows how Louverture’s enunciation of the

revolutionary concepts provided a clear perspective of the political stance of the Haitian

Revolution.

Question:

What were the main factors that contributed to the Haitian Revolution and how does the

historiography of leadership within the revolution differ in terms of explaining its success?

According to some historians, leadership emerged as the key factor, while others prefer to stress

socio-economic factors. How is it possible to reconcile the two perspectives in order to arrive at

a comprehensive assessment of the revolution’s contribution to anti-colonial struggles?