President Abraham Lincoln and President George Washington, both can be described as great leaders. President Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, can be described as honest, caring, and an all around people-person. President George Washington, the first president of the United States, can be described as commanding, authoritative, and fierce. These two men come across as opposites when described this way but they both possess the skills that are necessary to be a successful leader because they can combine compassion and maturity. Toussaint Louverture is another leader that found this key balance and victoriously led the black population of Saint Domingue to freedom. Louverture started as a slave himself but slowly climbed the social ladder to become a an important figure on the island. Toussaint Louverture is known as a strong military commander and the ruler of Saint Domingue but he is most importantly known as a liberator of slaves because every decision he made was to help free the slaves of the island.
Toussaint Louverture most significantly served as a liberator of slaves, never forgetting the ultimate goal of freeing them from slavery. When the slave revolt began in the north of Saint Domingue Louverture joined the revolution as a doctor towards the troops and commands a small detachment of slave soldiers (Document A). Once the revolutionary government in France, under Robespierre’s rule, abolishes slavery in France and all its colonies Louverture was quick to to stop his troop’s revolt to support the French (Document A). When news of the British being nervous of abolition spreading to their colony of Jamaica reaches Saint Domingue Toussaint Louverture, General Dessalines, and General Christophe create and army to attack the British (Document A). All of these decisions and actions committed by Louverture were to stop the spread of slavery. Never one was there an example of him fighting to keep slavery alive on the island. As a liberator of slaves Louverture willingly addressed the French Directory to maintain freedom for all slaves. In a letter he states, “Could men who have once enjoyed the benefits of liberty look on calmly while it is taken from them!” (Letter to the French Directory). The answer was no as Louverture also went on to say, “We have known how to confront danger to our liberty, and we will know how to confront death to preserve it” (Letter to the French Directory). Louverture is making the conclusion to fight to the death in order not to lose the newly found freedom. As a liberator of slaves Toussaint Louverture was able to fulfill all of the goals he set for himself and for the island of Saint Domingue that will stay intact through the rest of the island’s history.
As a military commander Louverture made great steps to protect the island from the reinstatement of slavery. In 1801 Louverture showed great humanity, generosity, and courage as he led his troops to defeat Napoleon’s army in the city of Semana. As the French were coming to the island Louverture gave the order to burn and abandon the city. French soldiers were greeted with, “nothing but smouldering ruins, where once stood splendid cities” (A Description of Toussaint Louverture). This prevented the newly arrived army from taking over Semana. Since Louverture was smart enough to train his men in not only shoulder to shoulder fighting but in guerrilla warfare as well. Since there was no city to fight in they were forced to fight in the mountains, “where the blacks have always proved too much for the whites” (A Description of Toussaint Louverture. Napoleon’s troops only know shoulder to shoulder fighting and were defeated by Louverture’s troops who were accustomed to both fighting styles. Toussaint Louverture was able to prevent the French from taking over the city of Semana and bringing slavery back to the island and proved his importance as a military commander.
Toussaint Louverture also served as the ruler of Saint Domingue. Under the title of ruler, Louverture made the promise to make sure slavery never exists on the island. This is the role that is filled loosely because of the new acts that Louverture passes. For example, Louverture passes Article 15 which applies that, “Each plantation… shall represent the quiet haven of an active and constant family, of which the owner of the land… shall be the father” (The Saint Domingue Constitution of 1801). The article means that slaves will go back to doing the same work under the same people who previously owned them. The only difference is that this time they will be payed for their work. This idea was not popular because it runs on the same idea that slavery ran on. The Proclamation of November 25, 1801, created by Toussaint Louverture, states that, “Vagabond cultivators arrested… shall be taken to the commander of the quarter, who will have them sent to the gendarmerie [local police] on their plantation” (Proclamation, 25 November 1801). In other words, workers can’t leave their plantations and if they do they will be brought back by their plantation’s local police. This made people feel trapped and they feel the way they did when slavery was still being practiced. Toussaint Louverture kept his promise of abolishing slavery but he cost the peoples’ trust and happiness to do so.
A liberator of slaves, a military commander, and the ruler of Saint Domingue is what Toussaint Louverture will be remembered as. His legacy of fighting for everyone to be treated as equals no matter skin color will be apart of him forever. Despite Louverture’s contributions as a military commander and as the ruler of Saint Domingue, he will be remembered as a liberator of slaves before the other two.
Document A: Created from various sources.
Document B: Toussaint Louverture, "Letter to the French Directory, November 1797."
Document C: The Saint Domingue Constitution of 1801. Signed by Toussaint Louverture in July 1801.
Document D: Toussaint Louverture, "Proclamation, 25 November 1801."
Document E: Madison Smartt Bell, Toussaint Louverture: A Biography, 2007.
Document F: William Wells Brown, "A Description of Toussaint Louverture," from The Black Man, His Antecedents, His Genius, and His Achievements, 2nd edition, 1683. Engraving of Toussaint Louverture, 1802.
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