El origen africano de la Revolución Haitiana

Abstract

In a well-known monograph, Laurent Du Bois observes that «the Haitian Revolution was a unique cross-cultural movement. In the 18th century the population of «Saint Domingue» was mainly slaves, from Africa. They had come from many regions of varied political and religious contexts and organized the revolution with what they had brought with them.» This helps to understand that the Revolution itself is an African one. A demographic consideration shows its’ african character. In 1789, among the 500,000 slaves living in Haiti, perhaps two-thirds had been born, raised and socialized in Africa. The Revolution began in 1791 and ended in 1804. It shocked the Western world and constitutes one of the three greatest revolutions of the 18th century, possibly more important in its effects than the American and French Revolutions.