L'Ouverture's Legacy

Martin Luther King Junior is known for being one of the greatest leaders in the world's history. He pertained the qualities of honesty, moral leadership and political skill. King used these very important aspects to peacefully fight for civil rights. It is important to remember the incredible legacy King left behind. We remember Martin Luther King Junior as a civil rights leader. Though not equally as peaceful, Toussaint L'Ouverture was also a great leader. He used political skill, moral leadership and honesty to fight for the freedom of slaves in Saint Domingue during the late 1700's and early 1800's. L'Ouverture took many actions in a lot of different parts of Saint Domingue's society and government to make change. Someone who did such amazing things for a nation must be remembered. Because he did so much for Saint Domingue, in what way should Toussaint L'Ouverture be remembered? For his incredible work to change the history of the island, we remember him as a liberator of the slaves, military commander and ruler of Saint Domingue.

    Toussaint L'Ouverture though he did many great things should be most remembered as a liberator of slaves. His work to free the slaves made him the courageous military commander and ruler he was. L'Ouverture's work to free the slaves had the greatest impact on Saint Domingue. The Timeline of Abolition in Saint Domingue shows that Toussaint L'Ouverture, during times of war, always fought in favor of abolishing slavery. In 1791-1792 Toussaint fought against the French and in 1794 when the French abolished slavery he fought on their side. (Doc. A) Starting in 1796 L'Ouverture again fought against the French again because they wanted to reinstate slavery. (Doc. A) This shows that Toussaint was very dedicated to freeing the slaves. In a letter to the French Directory in November 1797 L’Ouverture wrote, “ We have known how to confront danger to our liberty, and we will know to confront death to preserve it.” (Doc. B) In this quote he is threatening to fight the French if they take away the liberties that were given to the slaves. When L’Ouverture issued The Saint Domingue Constitution of 1801, he made sure one of the first articles protected the slaves. Article 3 states, “There cannot exist slaves in this territory, servitude is therein forever abolished. All men are born, live and die free and French.” (Doc. C) Because of Toussaint L’Ouverture’s endless efforts to fight against slavery, he created an incredible legacy. It is important to remember L’Ouverture as a liberator of slaves.

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    In addition to freeing the slaves of Saint Domingue, Toussaint L’Ouverture was a military commander and for that we should remember him. His legacy includes fighting in many wars to protect the rights of slaves. During these battles, L’Ouverture proved to be a very strong leader. He proves this quality when he reacted to Moyse, a commander of the Northern Department, ordering people to kill all white plantation owners. Madison Smartt Bell in, Toussaint Louverture: A Biography, 2007 wrote, “he ordered the mutineer regiments… to step out of the ranks and blow their own brains out. . . . Toussaint ordered Moyse’s arrest....” (Doc. E) Moyse was L’Ouverture’s nephew, so the harsh punishments L’Ouverture set upon him show that he is a great military commander because he can put personal relationships aside and protect the land he loves. The people gave L’Ouverture the title, ‘heroic chief.’(Doc. F) In addition to dealing with the revolt on the Northern Plain, he took many actions to successfully drive the Spanish and English off Saint Domingue. In the excerpt, “A Description of Toussaint Louverture” from 1863, William Wells Brown wrote, “Toussaint levied fresh forces, raised the reputation of the army, and drove the English and Spanish from the island. . . .” (Doc. F) Toussaint L’Ouverture, “gained the confidence of all whom he had under his command.” (Doc. F) because he was such a great military commander and it is important to remember him as such.

    Saint Domingue was successful because of the wonderful liberator of slaves and military commander the had, but what about their ruler? Toussaint L’Ouverture’s memorable legacy also includes ruling Saint Domingue. As ruler, L’Ouverture issued a constitution and a few proclamations. These orders kept control of the people, trade, government and the land. It was important to L’Ouverture to keep up the country’s prosperity even when there were no longer slaves working on plantations. As ruler he had to monitor Saint Domingue’s trade and income. In The Saint Domingue Constitution of 1801 under Title VI: Culture and Commerce, Toussaint L’Ouverture declared, “The colony being essentially agricultural cannot suffer the least disruption in the work of its cultivation. . . . Each plantation. . . shall represent the quiet haven of an active and constant family, . . .” (Doc. C) After issuing such an important document to help the success of the nation and still seeing people not working, L’Ouverture was upset. He then issued the “Proclamation, 25 November 1801.” In this proclamation he wrote, “Any individual . . . tending to incite sedition shall be brought before a court martial and be punished in conformity with the law.” (Doc. D) L’Ouverture put strong rules in place to make sure people were working, so that the country could still trade and make money. The financial success of Saint Domingue was very important to L’Ouverture. This passion is a reason why we remember Toussaint L’Ouverture as a ruler of Saint Domingue.

Although L’Ouverture is no longer alive today, it is still important we remember him, his legacy and his leadership qualities. Martin Luther King Junior, someone more commonly remember had the same leadership qualities as L’Ouverture and fought for the rights of black people during the 1950’s and 1960’s. King is remember specifically as a civil rights leader and his inspiring legacy will forever be remembered. L’Ouverture also fought for the rights of black people. His legacy is extremely important to the history of Saint Domingue. Today we remember Toussaint L’Ouverture as a liberator of slaves, military commander and ruler of Saint Domingue.