Where is toussaint louverture

As a general, Toussaint led his forces to victory over the planter class—and thousands of invading French troops. But that was only the start. He conquered the Spanish side of Hispaniola, uniting the island and establishing himself as governor. And with an education steeped in Enlightenment philosophy , he built on those humanistic ideals to create a constitution that would forever abolish slavery.

In , France was in a dicey situation. It had recently become a republic, stoking the ire of European monarchies. So that same year, French commissioners arrived in Saint-Domingue in the apparent spirit of compromise. Rebel leaders, including Toussaint, refused the overture, choosing to do battle instead with the 6,man fleet France had also sent.

Feigning outrage at the execution of King Louis XVI in , he made an alliance with neighboring Santo Domingo, taking command of a Spanish auxiliary force to reclaim a swath of Saint-Domingue territory. He refused to negotiate with French commissioners until , when France formally abolished slavery in its territories.

Toussaint then rejoined the French forces, beat back the Spanish and began his sustained campaign against the British, who had their own designs on Saint-Domingue. His army ousted British forces in , causing them to lose more than 15, men and 10 million pounds in the process. Toussaint entered into a secret agreement with the British army that eased their naval blockade of imported goods.

In the early s, he adopted the surname Louverture and shifted his viewpoints on slavery and abolition. Instead of fighting for more humane treatment of enslaved individuals, he instead campaigned for the complete abolition of slavery.

When the French revolutionary government first outlawed slavery on February 4, , Louverture switched his allegiance to the French. Throughout his years in power, Louverture worked to improve the economy and security of Saint-Domingue.

He restored the plantation system using paid labor, negotiated trade treaties with Britain and the United States, and maintained a large and well-disciplined army. By , Louverture had conquered the whole island, extending abolition to the Spanish Santo Domingo, and embarked on a program of modernization. While the Caribbean islands boiled with rebellion, European powers were fighting to gain advantage.

The British government was concerned that the slave revolt would spread to their neighboring colony of Jamaica. Seeking an opportunity to harass the French, the British sent troops to put down the slave revolt. Fearing defeat, the French National Convention acted to preserve its colonial rule and secure the loyalty of the black population.

In France granted freedom and citizenship to all blacks in the Empire. His first mission was to attack Spanish-controlled Santa Domingo on the eastern side of the island.

He was now fighting his former black colleagues, who were still loyal to Spain. Toussiant contained the remaining British troops, rendering them ineffective and soon they too withdrew from the island.

By , Toussaint was the leading political and military figure in the colonies. Having temporarily secured peace with the European powers, Toussaint turned to the domestic unrest still festering on the island. Prior to , the mulatto population, who were not enslaved, had owned slaves themselves. Many wanted them back. In , Toussaint was able to defeat the mulatto army with the help of Dessalines.

Toussaint was now the de facto ruler of the entire island of Hispaniola. He introduced a constitution, which reiterated the abolition of slavery and declared himself Governor-General for Life, with nearly absolute powers.

Hoping to bring some stability back to Hispaniola, he set out to reestablish agriculture and improve the economic conditions. Toussaint established trade agreements with the British and the Americans, who supplied his forces with arms and goods in exchange for sugar and the promise not to invade Jamaica or the American South. Defying French Revolutionary laws, he allowed plantation owners, who had fled during the rebellion, to return.

In , Napoleon Bonaparte gained control of France, amidst the chaos of the French Revolutionary government. He issued a new constitution that declared all French colonies would be ruled under special laws. Toussaint and others suspected this would mean the return of slavery. He was careful not to declare full independence and professed himself a Frenchman to convince Napoleon of his loyalty. Napoleon also forbade Toussaint from invading Santo Domingo, the eastern half of the island, where he had French authorities, trying to restore order after the Spanish departure.

The temptation to have complete control over the entire island was too tempting for Toussaint.