Toussaint L'Ouverture: Hero or Tyrant?

Toussaint L’Ouverture was born in 1743 in Saint Domingue on a plantation in Cap-Haïtien. He was quite prodigious as a young child: rather than working as a field slave and toiling in the hot sun, he began his slave existence as a herder. Later on, he became a coach driver and waiter for his owner. Ultimately, his owner saw such promise in him that he appointed L’Ouverture as an overseer of fellow slaves who were working in the field. Throughout his tenure, being a more “upscale” slave, he was given access to the plantation library. It was in that library that L’Ouverture’s godfather taught him how to read and write, and the seeds of his future were sown.

Around 1791, good fortune befell L’Ouverture, as his owner granted him his freedom from the tight shackles of slavery. Soon after his emancipation, he rented a small coffee plantation and acquired a dozen slaves of his own. However, though he had indeed acquired freedom, he was a still one of 50,000 free blacks and mulattoes who continued to be overpowered by the dominant white males of society.

Meanwhile, the Saint Domingue mulattoes sought spots in the National Assembly, the French legislative body at the time. When they were rejected, they revolted, with Vincent Ogé at the helm. However, Ogé’s time would not last, and he was later defeated and executed. With Ogé’s death, a void in leadership was left. Then, sighting the void, L’Ouverture joined the revolution as a doctor and small time commander. Soon, L’Ouverture gained a reputation for his orderly rule and for his training of soldiers in both guerrilla tactics and European shoulder-to-shoulder combat. What resulted from L’Ouverture’s involvement was a chain of events that would make a great impact upon the French Revolution...

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...saw an improvement in living conditions. Furthermore, schools, bridges, and roads were established and foreign trade grew as a result. The methods were indeed questionable, but ultimately, his promises were kept.

Like those of many historical figures, Toussaint L’Ouverture’s legacy is a complex mix of positives and negatives. On the downside, one might argue that L’Ouverture was a tyrannical dictatorial type who appointed himself governor general for life and who forced the citizens into harsh labor. However, he also encouraged slaves to fight for their freedom, emancipated them in the national constitution, and contributed to the economic advancement of Haiti. Ultimately, Toussaint L’Ouverture has the legacy of hero--though a flawed one--as he was the driving force behind the slaves during the French Revolution, and eventually, the driving force for Haiti as well.