Modeling Revolutions Project: French Revolution vs.

Haitian Revolution Incubation Stage: Before the French Revolution, there were signs of struggle and disunity between the peasants and the French monarchy. With the Seven Years War, the French monarchy was in an inescapable debt. However, this did not affect the monarchy; they lived as extravagantly as before, while the peasants were being taxed even more heavily. With bread prices were raising as well, famine was common. However, within the Estates General, there was lots of tension. The first estate, the clergy, and the second, the nobility, would always outvote the third estate, everyone else, with 2/3 of the vote. This was not fair because the nobility and the clergy only consisted of 4% of the population. Before the Haitian Revolution, many white planters wanted independence from Revolutionary France, free persons of color, attracted to the concept of equality embedded in the doctrine of The Rights of Man, were struggling for full rights of citizenship, slaves, hearing the talk of human equality, & oppressed by inhuman conditions, revolted for improved conditions. Famine was also common, overfishing the coast left the people wanting more than just food. The similarities included the famine that struck both the people of Paris as well as the coasts of Haiti. The Haitian revolution was caused by the French, and they wanted equality as well. Symptomatic Stage: Before the French Revolution, the third estate was excluded from the estates general, and that is what set off the Constitution of 1791. They had gathered at a tennis court and aspired to not leave without a constitution. It called for a constitutional monarchy. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen also called from equality among all men. The March of the Women was one example of the impeding Revolution making headway. They women of Paris stormed the palace of

Versailles and captured the king and queen of France, Marie Antoinette, and King Louis XVI. Before the Haitian Revolution, massive slave uprisings erupted in the French Colony of Saint Domingue. The rebellion was ignited by a voodoo service organized by Boukman. The Mackandal rebellion of 1754 started with a slave, Mackandal, knowledgeable of poison, who organized a plot to poison the slaveholders, and caused about 6,000 deaths. Bands of runaway slaves, known as maroons (marrons), entrenched themselves in mountains and forests, from which they bothered whiteowned plantations to secure provisions and weaponry and to take revenge. As their numbers grew, these bands began to carry out hit-and-run attacks throughout the colony. This is similar in that they were many uprisings in both the revolutions. Maroons would kill plantation owners while the peasants of Paris would slowly start picking off people starting with the March of the women and Bastille Day. Crisis Stage: The French revolution started with Bastille Day, when thousands of people stormed the prison of Bastille to acquire the weapons necessary to fight the revolution. Then there was Robespierre and his Reign of Terror, where more than 40,000 people died in the guillotine; one of them being King Louis XVI. The killing of Louis XVI signaled the end of the French monarchy and the beginning of the French Republic. The Haitian Revolution started with a group of slaves gather at Bois-Caman in the northern part of the colony in 1791. They gathered to attempt to overthrow French rule. Out of the hundreds of rebellions that occurred throughout the Haitian Revolution, only the St. Domingue slave revolt which began in 1791 was successful in achieving permanent independence under a new nation. In 1803, The Battle of Vertires occurred. This is the last victory of the Haitians over the French. Even after the deportation of

Toussaint Louverture, the leader of the Haitian Revolution, in 1802, his second in command was still able to defeat the French at their last battle. What is similar is that the Haitian revolution started out with a gathering at Bois- Caiman, and the French revolution started out with the Tennis court oath gathering. There were also many rebellions in which a few succeeded such as the Domingue slave revolt, Bastille Day, and the March of the Women. Convalescence: The end of the French Revolution was signaled by the execution of Robespierre. Once he was ended so what the age of the guillotine and the Reign of Terror. With this, France was on its way to restoration. The directory, a new body of government was formed and Napoleon Bonaparte rose to power. He established a Napoleonic code, which called for equality of all men After 13 years of revolution, France was removed from the island and the Haitian revolution ended and independence declared on January 1, 1804. However, the country was in ruins, the people struggling for survival. The black slaves had gained freedom and were able to establish a republic. The revolution also brought a constitution granting rights and citizenship to all people of Saint Dominique. Similarities include a republic that was established as well was the freedom and equality granted to the people. Both places were now based on a republic and constitution.