What was the social structure of Saint Domingue?

What was the social structure of Saint Domingue?

This harsh slavery created separations in the social classes of Saint Domingue. At the time, colonial society was divided into 4 groups: In the highest positions came the White Planters. These were the wealthiest, since they were the ones who owned the plantations, and the slaves.

What happened in 1791 St Domingue?

Sensing an opportunity, the slaves of northern St. Domingue organized and planned a massive rebellion which began on August 22, 1791. Domingue by the French revolutionary government convinced one of the slave revolt leaders, Toussaint L’Ouverture, that the new French Government was committed to ending slavery.

What were the social groups in Saint Domingue in 1789?

The Whites. There were approximately 20,000 whites, mainly French, in Saint-Domingue.

The Planters. These were wealthy whites who owned plantations and many slaves.

Petit Blancs.

The Free Persons of Color.

The Black Slaves.

Domestic Slaves.

Field Hands.

The Maroons.

What was the Colonial Society of Saint Domingue?

Under French rule, Saint-Domingue grew to be the wealthiest colony in the French empire and, perhaps, the richest colony in the world. Shortly before the Haitian Revolution, Saint-Domingue produced roughly 40 percent of the sugar and 60 percent of the coffee imported to Europe.

What was the social hierarchy in Saint Domingue prior to 1791?

During French colonization, Saint Domingue was populated by three classes of inhabitants, divided by the color of their skin. The white colonists at the top, the mulattoes and free blacks in the middle; the black slaves at the bottom.

What was the social composition of Saint Domingue at the eve of the revolution?

By 1789, on the eve of the French Revolution, the estimated population of Saint-Domingue, as the French called their colony, was 556,000 and included roughly 500,000 African slaves, 32,000 European colonists, and 24,000 affranchis (free mulattoes [people of mixed African and European descent] or blacks).

What was the effect of St Domingue?

Between 1791 and 1804 the Saint-Domingue revolution in the West Indies led to the abolition of slavery in the former French colony and the establishment of Haiti, the second independent republic in the Western Hemisphere and the first Western nation governed by persons of African descent.

Why did enslaved Africans in Saint-Domingue choose to rebel in August 1791?

Why did enslaved Africans in Saint Domingue choose to rebel in August 1791? They were taking advantage of the instability of the French Revolution. How did Brazil’s struggle for independence differ from other Latin American rebellions? Brazil became an independent nation with the approval of the royal family.

How was Saint-Domingue colonial society organized?

The slaveholding system in Saint-Domingue was particularly cruel and abusive, and few slaves (especially males) lived long enough to reproduce. While the masses of black slaves formed the foundation of colonial society, the upper strata evolved along lines of color and class.

What was Saint-Domingue known for?

Nicknamed the “Pearl of the Antilles,” Saint-Domingue became the richest and most prosperous French colony in the West Indies, cementing its status as an important port in the Americas for goods and products flowing to and from France and Europe.

What were the social classes in Haiti?

Social stratification in colonial times con- sisted of three main strata: the whites, the free people of color (affranchis), and the slaves.

What were some of the social factors that led to the Haitian revolution?

Among the causes of the conflicts were the affranchis’ frustrations with a racist society, turmoil created in the colony by the French Revolution, nationalistic rhetoric expressed during Vodou ceremonies, the continuing brutality of slave owners, and wars between European powers.

What happened to St Domingue in 1791?

In 1791 the French colony of St Domingue was the richest sugar island in the Caribbean. A slave army led by Toussaint L’Ouverture burned the plantations, defeating both militias and French troops. The emergence of an independent republic, under black leadership, sent shock waves across the Atlantic to Britain.

How did the island of Saint Domingue’s hierarchy eventually lead to?

Here you can see how the Island of Saint Domingue’s hierarchy eventually lead to the slave’s revolt in 1791. Image displays slave trade from Africa to the western world. Slaves made up 90% of Saint Domingue population.

What was The racial makeup of Saint Domingue?

During French colonization, Saint Domingue was populated by three classes of inhabitants, divided by the color of their skin. The white colonists at the top, the mulattoes and free blacks in the middle; the black slaves at the bottom.

How did the French Revolution affect slaves in Saint-Domingue?

This new phase of the French Revolution had immense consequences for slaves Saint-Domingue, because the armed popular masses, on whom the revolutionary power rested, were in favour of the abolition of slavery. For the first time, the slaves of Saint-Domingue had powerful allies in France.