Without leadership nothing can be accomplished, no goal can be reached. A leader needs to have many qualities and skills including political skills, toughness, honesty, compassion, and many others. Without a successful leader who has a great mind and a great heart there can be no successful country. Toussaint Louverture, a great military leader, ruler, and liberator of slaves, of the mid and late 1700s and early 1800s, lived in the French colony known then as Saint Domingue. Toussaint was, at first, one of over 500,000 slaves in Saint Domingue but was later granted freedom. As a free African American man he joined the slavery uprising in Saint Domingue. He later became a great military commander in the fight to abolish slavery and when that was accomplished he was able to become the ruler of Saint Domingue. Before he could see the independence of Saint Domingue, now known as Haiti, Napoleon attacked and tried to reinstate slavery in the French colonies but because of the fight put up by Toussaint’s men Napoleon’s goal was not able to be reached. Toussaint Louverture should be remembered as a military commander, ruler of Saint Domingue, and a liberator of slaves. Toussaint was a great, powerful military commander who would defend his country and put his military skills to greater use over any other skill he had including his skills as ruler of Saint Domingue and his liberator of slave skills.
First, Toussaint Louverture was an expert military commander. Although he was not able to be there for the independence of his country he lead the people to that point, he allowed them to be able to accomplish their independence. He never allowed anyone to get in his way as a military commander. When his nephew, General Moyse, lead a rebellion against Toussaint's wishes Toussaint quickly rushed to the northern region of Saint Domingue where the rebellion took place and stopped the rebellion right away. In Madison Smartt Bell's Toussaint Louverture: A Biography, she writes, "he ordered the mutineer regiments on parade and summoned certain men to step out of the ranks and blow their own brains out..."(E) Toussaint used this as an example of his power and brutality. It was a threat to others to never threaten his powers or go against his wishes. Toussaint even made Moyse give the order to fire for himself to be shot and killed. It was a very good technique and ensured his power. Using his military skills Toussaint was even able to drive Spanish and English forces from the island. Toussaint was also a very social military leader traveling from post to post with great speed ensuring confidence in the people who he commanded. When a fleet landed in Samana to attack and reinstate slavery in Saint Domingue Toussaint gave a power speech to encourage his fighters. Toussaint say, "...that soul, when on e the soul of a man, and no longer that of a slave, can overthrow the pyramids and the Alps themselves, sooner than again be crushed down into slavery." (F). He inspired his people to fight for freedom and to never stop. He gave them hope to win the battles. He taught two very different strategies of battle to the armies under his control. He taught both the European, shoulder to shoulder style, and the guerrilla tactics. (A) This allowed his armies to be very versatile in battles. Before the fleet landed in Saint Domingue, Toussaint had his men burn down the city and flee to the mountains where the Europeans would not be able to reach them. (F). This allowed his men to have a great advantage over the Europeans. Toussaint was able to succeed greatly as a military leader and without his skills and techniques Haiti would not be an independent country.
Toussaint was also a great ruler of Saint Domingue, although the time was short lived. Toussaint Louverture was a very smart ruler of Saint Domingue. Toussaint created The Saint Domingue Constitution in 1801. The constitution outlined a colony that would forever be without slavery but would force the people of the colony to work the same way they had as slaves before; it also supported Toussaint Louverture being a very powerful man, making him head of the army for all of his life. Article 15 states: "Each plantation...shall represent the quiet haven of an active and constant family, of which the owner of the land...shall be the father." (C) Although the free men and women are still working in plantations they would not have the master, slave relationship with the plantation owners they had before. Toussaint tried to create a family atmosphere and relationship between the slave workers at the plantations. Toussaint also made a proclamation after the constitution was written. It talks about how the workers must work on the plantations they were assigned to and start at a very young age, it also discussing the punishments of leaving the plantation the worker works on as well as the breaking of other laws. Toussaint was starting to get harder on the workers because the business of agriculture is the only way the country makes its money. Plantations are needed for the colony to survive. Toussaint states in the proclamation: "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." (D) A vagabond is someone who refuses to work. No one was not allowed to work, everybody was needed to keep the gigantic plantations running smoothly. Although Toussaint was a great ruler of Saint Domingue he had many flaws including his forceful ways of making people work just like they were slaves. Toussaint's skills as a ruler were not his best.
Finally, Toussaint was a liberator of slaves. Toussaint's main goal of the revolution and his control was to end slavery. Although that was not his best accomplishment, it was a great one. He joins the revolt as soon as it starts and took control of many aspects, reflecting on his military commander positions. Toussaint also wrote a letter to the French Directory, he wrote in it about how the people would never be able to calmly become slaves again. He states: "Could men who have once enjoyed the benefits of liberty look on calmly while it is taken from them!" (B) When France first abolished slavery they soon tried to reinstate it but the new free people would not let that happen. Toussaint told the French Directory that they would not stand for it and would try as hard as they could to be free people. Toussaint was the voice of all the slaves in Saint Domingue. He spoke on behalf of them all the encourage the freedom of slaves.
Although Toussaint was best at being a military commander he did succeed at his other roles of being a liberator of slaves and ruler of Saint Domingue. He met his goal of freeing the slaves of Saint Domingue forever as well as eventually having Saint Domingue become an independent country, reflecting on all of his roles he played throughout the revolution. Toussaint used his military skills the best during and after the revolution making it the most memorable aspect of him.
Bibliography:
(A) Document A, Timeline of Abolition in Saint Domingue, Created from various sources
(B) Document B, Toussaint Louverture, “Letter to the French Directory, November 1797.”
(C) Document C, The Saint Domingue Constitution of 1801. Signed by Toussaint Louverture in July 1801
(D) Document D, Toussaint Louverture, “Proclamation, 25 November 1801.”
(E) Document E, Madison Smartt Bell, Toussaint Louverture: A Biography, 2007
(F) Document F, William Wells Brown, “A Description of Toussaint Louverture,” from The Black Man, His Antecedents, His Genius, and His Achievements, 2nd edition. Engraving of Toussaint Louverture, 1802.
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