The Human Right of Freedsom in the Haitian and French Revolutions

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Freedom of any type, whether political, economic, social, is a universal right that should be guaranteed to everyone. In the late 18th century revolutionary wars began in France and Haiti. These two revolutions, significant in their own ways, both were influenced from ideas sparked by the enlightenment. Though some similarities, the revolutions were different in other ways as well. In France the peasant and middle classes fought to overthrow their monarch, while the Haitian slaves wanted their freedom by trying to overthrow the French government which at that time was controlling them.
In the year 1791 both the Haitian Revolution and French Revolution were occurring. The French at this time were in the process of making a new government based on equal rights drafting a new constitution. In Haiti an outraged enslaved population were finding strength in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and were about to take action of their own. The Haitians and French, began with questions that Enlightenment thinkers were creating. Especially after hearing about the success the American Revolution had helped to light the fires of these two Revolutions. And both felt that the only way to achieve their goals is through violence. In France, during “The Reign of Terror” in 1793 a rampage of executions left thousands dead in result of the National Convention’s frenzy for power and control. Violence was also used in Haiti in the rebellions that set the ground for the revolution. These rebellions escalated as enraged slaves turned against their masters, then moved to execute as many Frenchmen as they could. Haitian slaves endured hard backbreaking work on the rich sugar plantations; so they had ability to endure more physical pain then their rich ma...

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...nce again become a world power. In contrast, Haiti, suffering from political corruption and instability, remains weak to this day. People in both revolutions fought hard, but in Haiti a different kind of fight was going on during the 18th century.
The years of revolution in Haiti and France created new societies with new capabilities. Not only in France and Haiti were the effects of this new world felt, but all over. The will of the people to strive for their freedom through revolutions created a bond between these two very different societies and intertwined their history. They were influenced by similar events, such as the enlightenment, used the principles of equality and liberty for all people but given two very different tasks to achieve. What makes them both memorable is that these two revolutions did what many others couldn’t, they achieved.

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