Monday, April 15, 2019
Haitian and American Revolutions Essay Example for Free
Haitian and American Revolutions EssayWhile the revolutions in colonial America and Haiti had many parallels, they were overly unique in their own ways. In both revolutions, the rebels revolted against a foreign superpower that was in a weakened economic reconcile in order to gain economic and well-disposed freedom. However, the Haiti revolution disturbed freedom for everybody (including slaves), whereas the American Revolution focused more on the needs of the Bourgeois, or middle track.The revolutions in both of these countries would have been un successful were it not for the crippling problems faced by both opposing superpowers. The success of the Haitian revolution was due in no small part to the political turmoil brought astir(predicate) by the French revolution. This weakened the ability of the colonial administrators in Haiti to maintain order and caused the authority of colonial officials to no longer be clear even the very legitimacy of slavery was even being ch allenged in France. The turmoil in France and Haiti paved the way for a struggle between the elite plantation owners and the free black slave owners. This fighting in turn gave the slaves, under the leadership of Toussaint LOuverture, the unheard of fortune to revolt against their owners and emancipate themselves from a brutal system of bondage (Corbet).The revolution in the Americans was against its mother country, owing(p) Britain, and unlike Haiti, the British army was in full force when war broke. There were, however, economic weaknesses that light-emitting diode to the inevitable revolution against Britain. Britain was burdened by debts from the French and Indian War, and therefore taxed the colonies substantially to make up for this.The ideologies of the revolutions in both Haiti and America were very similar. In America, philosophers such as Thomas Paine and John Locke preached social and economic freedom. Thomas Paine writes, And he hath shown himself such an inveterate e nemy to liberty, and discovered such a thirstiness for arbitrary power, is he, or is he not, a proper person to say to these colonies, you shall make no laws except what I please (Overfield, 198). This repre moves the opinion of many revolutionaries that they should be allowed to rule on their own and not be taxed and forced into things by aruler thousands of miles away. Also, these philosophers believed in the idea of unalienable rights for men.The Declaration states, We hold these truths to be sacred and undeniable self evident, that all men are created equal and independent that from that equal creation they derive in rights inherent and inalienables, among which are the preservation of manners, and liberty and the pursuit of happiness (Maier). The colonists believed that everyone with land should have a determine to pursue happiness, and that the British monarchy wasnt allowing them this freedom. They also proclaimed that taxation without represendation was a denial of the r ights they deserved.The bourgeois class brought up this claim to get more economical freedom and rights. Acts passed by the Parliament such as the Stamp Act limited the economic potential of this middle class. Thomas Paine talked of how no immigrants would move to the colonies of the presidency was not allowed to be independent and thrive (Overfield, 198). Although this would help the middle class gain more bullion and thrive, the lower class including the slaves would be unaffected. These slaves were not to be given any rights or improvements from their previous lifestyle.In Haiti before the revolution, slaves also had no rights or say in their lives. With Frances being in a state of turmoil, a window opened for a chance to rid of their masters and grasp a life unheard of to slaves of this era. All they needed was a leader someone to bring them together and unite them in this noble cause, and for them, this man was Toussaint LOuverture. With the slave owners fighting and in disar ray, the slaves rose up and fought hard for a part life. LOuverture might have grasped the idea of economic independence, but the slaves only goal was social freedom. Many fought to the goal because they welcomed death as a change from the sinful lives they had been living. This revolution was to give inalienable rights to all, including slaves, instead of practiced to the bourgeois class as had been done in America.In the Haitian revolution, the slaves revolted against the wealthy plantation owners. dilate of these events are shown with illustrations that werecreated from British admirer Marcus Rainsfords own sketches. Rainsford depicted him through his portraits almost as if he were a deity a countenance bold and striking, yet full of the most prepossessing suavity terrible to an enemy, but inviting to the objects of his friendship or his love. The rebellious slaves eventually gained the upper hand under the leadership of LOuverture (Rainsford).LOuverture thusly led an inv asion of neighboring Saint Domingo where he continued to liberate slaves. In 1802, Napoleon, the leader of France, sent a large military force and fought the rebel forces. The resistance persisted, and the slaves eventually gained independence by defeating Napoleon. LOuverture was captured and sent to France, where he died in prison. One might wonder what he was thinking as when he was there. A letter, or a journal written by him might provide insight into the mind of this authoritative revolutionary.The American Revolution started with boycotts to repeal unjust measures such as the Stamp Act. These passions intensified into riots, which were portrayed in the Boston Tea Party, where rebels dumped 10,000 pounds of tea into the river to protest high tea taxes. The Boston Massacre also incited detestation towards the King of Britain, King George III (Middlekauff 712). All these factors escalated and came to a climax when war was declared against the British. In the untimely stages o f the revolution, minutemen, ordinary colonists, were used in the battles. Eventually, strong military leaders organized the colonists into a fighting utensil and the colonists were able to surround the British at Yorktown, thus gaining their independenceBibliographyCorbett, Bob. The Haitian Revolution of 1791-1803. 21 Mar. 2001. Webster University. http//www.webster.edu/corbetre/haiti/ tale/revolution/revolution1.htm.Maier, Pauline. American Scripture Making the Declaration of Independence.New York Alfred A. Knopf, 1997.Jefferson, Thomas. The Declaration of Independence. Maier 235-241.Middlekauff, Robert. The Glorious Cause The American Revolution, 1763-1789. Vol. IIof the Oxford History of the United States. New York Oxford Univ. Press, 1982.Overfield, Andrea. The Human Record Sources of Global History. Vol. 2.Boston Houghton Mifflin Company, 2001.Paine, Thomas. Common Sense. Overfield 194-198.Rainsford, Marcus. An diachronic Account of the Black Empire of Hayti Comprehendinga View of the Pricipal Transactions in the Revolution of Saint Domingo With its ancient and Modern State. London James Cundee, 1803.
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