January 12th, 2012

CW 6.1: Haitian Revolution

Page 1

Do First (3 minutes) and Share Out (2 minutes)

Describe the causes, events, and outcomes of the French Revolution:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Objective (2 minutes)
SWBAT compare and contrast the French and Haitian revolutions.
Note: At the end of this lesson you will need to:

Create a Venn Diagram that compares and contrasts the French and Haitian revolutions
Write a thesis on the following prompt:

Compare and contrast the French and Haitian Revolutions

Agenda (1 minute)

Do First and Share Out (5 minutes)

Objective and Lesson Overview (4 minutes)
Key Ideas (5 minutes)
Haitian Revolution: Reading (15 minutes)
Haitian and French Revolutions: Compare and Contrast (6 minutes)
Thesis Writing (7 minutes)
Exit Ticket (5 minutes)

Key Ideas (5 minutes)

1. The Haitian Revolution took place from 1791-1804 on
the island of Hispaniola in the French colony of St.
Domingue
2. St. Domingue, the French colony, contained massive
sugar and coffee plantations that were staffed by
African slaves. Conditions on these plantations were
brutal: The death rate was higher than the birth rate,
so new slaves were constantly being imported
3. The French revolution provided an example to the
slaves of the island, and one former slave, Toussaint
LOuverture, who led the successful revolution

4. After the revolution, which was successful, the biracial

descendants of the former French slave owners rose to
power, creating a two-caste system, where the biracial
children of the French ruled Haiti, and the lower class
farmers lived in poverty
5. In order to be accepted among other countries of the
world, the Haitians were forced to pay money to the
families of the slave owners killed in the revolution.
This put the country extremely in debt and contributed
to its continued poverty up to today

January 12th, 2012

CW 6.1: Haitian Revolution

Page 2

Part I: Haitian Revolution

To revolt (v.),
revolt (n.)

To rebel, rebellion

European
colonial power

A country in Europe that colonized

the Americas. In the case of Haiti,
the colonial power was France.

French colony
of SaintDomingue

The French colony that existed on the

island of Hispaniola, where modern
day Haiti exists now

The Haitian Revolution (17911804) was a slave revolt in the French colony of Saint-Domingue, which
culminated in the elimination of slavery there and the founding of the Haitian republic. The Haitian Revolution
was the only slave revolt which led to the founding of a state. The revolution was one of the two successful
attempts, along with the American Revolution, to achieve permanent independence from a European colonial
power for an American state before the 19th century. Furthermore, it is generally considered the most
successful slave rebellion ever to have occurred in the Americas and as a defining moment in the history of
Africans in the New World.
1. In the Haitian Revolution, who revolted against whom?______________________________________

2. Was the Haitian Revolution successful?____________________________________________________

3. The last line of the above describes the Haitian Revolution as a defining moment in the history of
Africans in the New World. Explain in your own words what the author might mean. (Critical Thinking
Question)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

The colonial oligarchy spared neither means of oppression nor

refinement of cruelty in order to maintain the all-powerful weight of
exploitation on the African people and its descendants. So as to
legitimize the violation of all principles of natural law, this oligarchy
proclaimed aloud the intellectual and moral inability of that race.
Toussain LOuverture, Memoires

January 12th, 2012

CW 6.1: Haitian Revolution

Page 3

Part II: Haiti After the Revolution

Political and
Economic
Isolation

It took years before other countries

would recognize Haiti as a real
country

Nascent (adj.)

Coming into being, in the process of

being created, new

Reparations (n.)

Repayment for a wrong. In this case,

the French made the Haitian gov. pay
money to the families of the
slavetraders harmed in the
revolution

Rural subsistence
farmers

Farmers who raise crops to eat (and

barely make enough to survive) as
opposed to farmers who sell crops
for cash

Although an independent government was created in Haiti, its society continued to be deeply affected by the
patterns established under French colonial rule. The French established a system of minority rule over the
illiterate poor by using violence and threats. Because many planters had provided for their mixed-race
children by African women by giving them education and (for men) training and entrance into the French
military, the biracial descendants became the elite in Haiti after the revolution.
By the time of war, many of these biracial Haitians had used their social capital to acquire wealth, and some
already owned land. Their domination of politics and economics after the revolution created another twocaste society, as most Haitians were rural subsistence farmers. In addition, the nascent state's future was
practically "mortgaged" to French banks in the 1820s, as it was forced to make massive reparations to French
slaveholders in order to receive French recognition and end the nation's political and economic isolation.
These payments may have permanently affected Haiti's economy and wealth.
1. The first paragraph says that the new country of Haiti was deeply affected by the patterns established under
French colonial rule. What patterns were these? Describe them.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What were the two castes that existed in Haitian?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Describe the relationship between Haiti and France after the revolution.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

January 12th, 2012

CW 6.1: Haitian Revolution

Page 4

Part III: Compare and Contrast the French and Haitian Revolutions
In the following box, copy down the key points of the French Revolution. Use your returned handout from the
week before break:

In the space below, draw a Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting the French and Haitian revolutions.
Make sure to touch on the following three categories:
1. Cause
2. Outcome
3. Relationships between social classes

January 12th, 2012

Thesis Writing

CW 6.1: Haitian Revolution

Page 5

What areas of thought were affected by the Enlightenment?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

The following rubric describes how your thesis will be scored:

Thesis Rubric

Assertion
Areas of
Thinking
Examples/
Explanations

Partner Eval.
Assertion
Areas of Think.
Ex./Explanations

Thesis does not contain an

assertion.
Thesis contains 1 or fewer
areas of thinking affected by
the Enlightenment.
One or fewer of the reasons
why Luther wanted to reform
the Catholic Church is
explained or has an example.

Score

Thesis contains a statement

that responds to the prompt
but it is not arguable.
Thesis contains 2 areas of
thinking affected by the
Enlightenment.
Two of the reasons why Luther
wanted to reform the Catholic
Church are explained or have
examples.

Thesis contains an arguable

statement that responds to the
prompt.
Thesis contains 3 or more areas
of thinking affected by the
Enlightenment.
Three or more of the reasons
why Luther wanted to reform
the Catholic Church are
explained or have example.

What evidence do you see for this score?