November 17, 2021
In
Hello my Hummingbird,
In this month full of history – whether it is a story of international conflict for November 11, 1918 (Armistice of the First World War), a story of money with Black Friday (which must make more than one person shudder) or a story of remembering our ancestors with All Saints' Day – the month of November is truly a month of commemoration.
But apart from our Haitian friends, who knows about the Battle of Vertières?
The Battle of Vertières was none other than the final conflict fought in Haiti with the aim of reestablishing slavery under Napoleon's orders.
When and where did the Battle of Vertières take place?
The Battle of Vertières took place on November 18, 1803, north of the island of Saint Domingue, near Cap Français.
"Vertières" is simply the name of the neighborhood in which this historic confrontation took place. This neighborhood is located in the second Haitian city, Cap-Haïtien. In 2009, the word "Vertières" officially entered a dictionary for the first time, that of the French Academy.
Let's get back to the facts.
It is the beginning of the 19th century, France is one of the world's leading powers. The world is in upheaval following the French Revolution of 1789. The advent of the contemporary period with the creation of the First Republic in 1792 is quickly thwarted by the First Empire from 1804. At that time, France is an empire governed by the famous army general with a substantial record, who became the first emperor of the French: Napoleon I.
At the same time, international life is driven by the "Triangular Trade" which is the basis of the world economy. Organized between Europe, Africa and America, it is about increasing the wealth of Europe through the deportation of men exchanged for junk from the African continent to the American continent where they will be reduced to slavery to make "colonial materials" (sugar, coffee, cocoa, cotton, tobacco) profitable. Established from the middle of the 15th century, by two-thirds of the 17th century, there were no fewer than 859,000 deportations.
At the European level, one of the main countries involved in this trade is France. It governs many lands, some of which are now known as Haiti, Martinique, Guadeloupe, for example.
But under the impetus of the revolutionary movements which took place in Europe at the end of the 18th century, echoes were felt in the overseas territories which were called colonies.
In 1791, the slave revolt of Saint-Domingue led to the abolition of slavery, proclaimed in 1794. Their leader, Toussaint Louverture, after rallying to power, was named general and continued his action by driving out the English troops who had come to reinforce the white settlers. He then governed the reunified island independently of France.
This is when First Consul Bonaparte, who came to power in 1799, intervened. At that time, he was not yet emperor and therefore did not yet bear the name of Napoleon I. Determined to make France the leading European and world power and in the continuity of his victorious battles, he was thwarted by these uprisings in the overseas territories. He therefore sent army corps to Saint-Domingue and Guadeloupe.
He managed to capture Toussaint Louverture and had him imprisoned in France in June 1802. But his deputy, General Jacques Dessalines, aware of the fate of Guadeloupe – defeated in May 1802, slavery was reestablished there – took over and rallied to the French to better eliminate his rivals, before turning against them. Armed conflicts followed one another and the French soldiers, despite reinforcements, were defeated on the ground and by disease (many of them were decimated by yellow fever).
They capitulated on November 18, 1803, at Fort Vertières. In the days that followed, the French garrisons surrendered one after the other. After six weeks, on November 1, 1803, the French garrisons surrendered one after the other.er January 1804, the former colony proclaimed its independence and took the name of Haiti, giving it back its original Taino (Native American people) name. It is the first independent black state of modern times and the second independent state in America..
At the time of its independence, Haiti, also nicknamed "the pearl of the Antilles" was a rich and prosperous island. For France, losing "the richest colony in the world" was difficult to accept. Especially since its expansion projects in America were directly linked to it.
Following this disaster, Bonaparte turned his back on colonial issues for good. The strategic position and prosperity of the colony of Saint-Domingue should have allowed it to develop easily in America. It should be noted that in 1800, a secret agreement had been signed between France and Spain to make Louisiana – a vast territory stretching from present-day Louisiana to Canada, or 22% of the current size of the United States (2,144,520 square km) – a French territory. It was to be the place of exchange for goods produced in Saint-Domingue, which became Haiti.
So Bonaparte decided to sell this gigantic territory to the newcomer on the world stage: the United States, created in 1776. With this transaction, he imagined that the Americans would become rivals of the British Empire (with which he himself was at war). It was a godsend for Thomas Jefferson, 3e President of the United States, the country's area would double and he would avert a major European threat. On November 30, 1803, Louisiana was officially sold by Spain to France, which on December 20 ceded it to the United States. The amount of the deal is estimated at 342 million current dollars.
In its quest for independence, Haiti had to pay 150 million gold francs, or 21 billion dollars today, in other words an amount 60 times higher than the purchase price of Louisiana. This sum was calculated in 1825 on the principle of a compensation payment representing "the equivalent of one year of the colony's income around the Revolution, or 15% of the annual budget of France". To force Haiti to sign the agreement, France imposed a maritime blockade. The new state then had to borrow considerable sums on the Paris market. This was called the "double debt of independence": the compensation and the interest on the loans.
At the same time, the country's economy collapsed, victim of years of war and blockade, combined with the fall in coffee prices and investments in military construction for fear of the French. Haiti was unable to pay. In 1838, an agreement was reached to reduce the indemnity to 90 million, or 17 billion euros today. A debt that would be settled in 1883. The bank charges, for their part, would not be finished being paid until the middle of the 20th century!
My hummingbird, I could have stopped only at the simple feat of arms and the victory of Haiti on November 18, 1803. However, it was difficult for me to stick to it without mentioning the real result that resulted from it, with its impact still present today, which has notably engendered corruption and interference from great nations. Dear hummingbird, not all stories are perhaps good to tell but some must be known. And as Aimé Césaire said, "a civilization that proves incapable of solving the problems that its functioning raises is a decadent civilization."
Lina
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FR
No comments... There are too many things to say and say again... The history of the Antilles is really hard!!!
Yes, that is why this work of memory is important. And then it is the history of the Antilles which makes it strong!