Differences And Similarities Between Haiti And French Revolutions

In the late 18th century, a rise of underlying, radical ideas swept the nations of the France and Haiti as a fight for individual freedom among the people arose throughout the land. Significant in their own respects, France fought for their freedom and rights under a monarchy, as Haiti fought for theirs under French rule and enslavement. While both the French and Haitian Revolutions were influenced by the same ideas, such as ideas from the enlightenment, equality, and liberty, they were also very different in regard to the internal and external battles in their nations. The revolutions in France and Haiti coexisted at the time of 1791 and were guided by the ideas of the enlightenment, along with the proposition that all men are created and

The revolutions were the people’s revolution, meaning they were led and done by the people who resided in France or Haiti. In France, the Third Estate, more specifically the National Assembly, led the reform movement. In Haiti, the black enslaved people rebelled against French colonial forces. A second similarity between both France and Haiti is the fact that their goals were achieved through violence. The Period of Terror in France marked a violent uprising of revolutionaries rising against those who were opposed to or critical of the ideas of the revolution. The Law of Suspects was implemented in 1793 and it gave the government legal authorization to suspend civil liberties to rescue their republic from enemies who were against the revolution. The Terror implemented fear and rumor throughout France and thousands were executed. In Haiti, the Slave Rebellion was a mighty and deadly fight as well. Violence was a result of the vengeance sought by the enslaved people who felt there was no other option to achieve their individual rights and freedom. The concepts of the French and Haitian declaration and constitution was similar as well. In France, the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen” stressed the idea that all men are born free and remain free . This document emphasized the concept of liberty stating that all men have rights of

One being that the Haitian Revolution was an external conflict, while the French Revolution was an internal conflict. In Haiti, the enslaved population rebelled against the French, whom at the time had total power over the colony. In France, the Third Estate was revolting against their own political system within their nation. The French were under a government as citizens, unlike in Haiti where the Haitians were under a government as slaves and fought to overthrow their existing government ideals. In France, revolutionary documentation discussed only the rights and citizenship of the white man. In Haiti, people of color were emphasized within the human rights concept, stating that it would be hypocritical to declare freedom and individual rights without including the black man. In the NPR podcast, “What the Haitian Revolution Tells Us About The U.S. Movement For Racial Equality,” historian Marlene Daut puts a more modern concept within the ideas of the Haitian revolution . The parallels between the present-day “Black Lives Matter” movement in the U.S. and the Haitian revolution have similar ideologies imbedded within them, as both fight for equality regardless of their skin color. In the post-revolutionary era of France, the nation was able to achieve stability in their economy and society. This differs in Haiti, as they were faced with an enormous amount of debt