Haitian Revolution Impact on Jamaica

The Haitian Revolution of 1791 to 1804 was a period of conflict in the French colony of Saint Domingue between the oppressive French colonists and their exploited slaves, which concluded in the abolition of slavery in Haiti and the founding of the Haitian Republic, a pure Black society (Impact of the Haitian Revolution). The Haitian Revolution was influential in slave rebellions in the United States and British colonies. It had a mirror effect on other colonies around the world, including Jamaica (Haiti).

The Haitian Revolution had a major impact on many countries. Other countries feared that the success of the slave revolt in Haiti would implant thoughts in slaves elsewhere (Haiti). The Haitian Revolution did in fact influence slaves to rebel against whites in other countries (Impact of the Haitian Revolution). Jamaica was strongly affected by the Haitian Revolution.

The Haitian army fought against the British army, who decided to invade Haiti during the revolutionary period to protect Jamaica from suffering the same fate (Impact of the Haitian Revolution). If Haiti had successfully revolted, then the British colony of Jamaica would be influenced by the success of the slave revolt (Haiti). The British wanted to protect Jamaica’s security by helping France suppress the Haitian Revolution. The British invaded Haiti in 1793 but later withdrew British troops in 1798 after a series of defeats by the army lead by Toussaint L’Ouverture (Impact of the Haitian Revolution).

Once Haiti achieved its independence; it provided a safe haven for slaves escaping within its borders (Impact of the Haitian Revolution). Under the Haitian Constitution, all people who were black that step foot onto Haitian soil was considered Haitian and were therefore protected by the constitution (Impact of the Haitian Revolution). Slaves fled from their countries and retreated to Haiti where they were accepted and allowed to be free citizens of the black nation (Haiti).

One famous case of Haiti protecting slaves from other territories is the case of a ship named the Deep Nine (Impact of the Haitian Revolution). In 1817 James M’Kewan led his slaves on an expedition from Jamaica to the east end of the island where they would supply other vessels with goods (Haiti). The black crew became separated from the owner during the exchange, and managed to escape from their master and set sail for Haiti on the Deep Nine (Impact of the Haitian Revolution). James M’Kewan went to Haiti in search of his slaves, but however, he could not find the slaves. He sought help from the Haitian President to personally demand the restitution of his property (Haiti). However, his attempts failed as the President said that the slaves were no longer slaves, and were in fact, citizens of Haiti. Therefore, they were protected by Haiti and its constitution. M’Kewan wrote several letters to the Haitian government requesting the return of his slaves (Haiti). However, he never retrieved his slaves due to the strict guidelines laid out in the Haitian Constitution (Impact of the Haitian Revolution).

The Haitian Revolution was the pride of all black globally and largely impacted many other societies. It had deep and lasting impact on the self-image and national identity of Blacks. The Haitian Revolution, indeed, stood as a model for achieving emancipation for slaves in the United States who mimicked Toussaint L'Ouverture's actions (Haiti).

All information found via: 

Geggus, David Patrick. The Impact of the Haitian Revolution in the Atlantic World. Columbia, SC: University of     South Carolina, 2001. Print.

"Haiti." Trinity College. Web. 06 Nov. 2011. <http://www.trincoll.edu/classes/hist300/group3/haiti.htm>.

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Jamaicanisms: 

Jamaica Fried Plantain Recipe (courtesy of foodjamaica.net)

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 firm-ripe plantains
• vegetable oil for deep-frying

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Peel and slice the plantains. I find that the best way to slice them is either diagonally or you can cut the plantain in half and slice lengthwise. The plantain can also be sliced lengthwise full size, but the smaller diagonal or half slices are easier to fry.
2. Heat the oil over medium heat (around 375 degrees is good) in a large frying pan and add the sliced plantains.
3. Fry plantians until golden brown. They will cook very quickly, be careful not to burn them.
4. Place fried plantains on a paper towel and dry off any excess oil.

Thats it! Serve warm. Brown sugar is a good addition if ya want to sweet it up mon. If you any thing to add to this recipe then feel free to add a comment.

 Haitian Music