Haitian Revolution

1791- Slave Revolt, led by Toussaint L’Ouverture, spread through Haiti, a French colony located on the island of Hispaniola. France was too busy with their own revolution to do anything about it. In 1802, Napoleon Bonaparte sent an army to reconquer Haiti. Toussaint L’Ouverture urged Haitians to take up arms to fight for full independence from France.

Yellow Fever Guerilla forces were aided by a deadly ally, yellow fever Mosquitoes carried the yellow fever virus and transmitted it by biting the French troops. 33,000 French troops were sent to the Haiti, and approx. 29,000 contracted yellow fever within a year. Maybe history would have been different if Haiti was not a tropical island where mosquitoes thrive One said simply “ Mosquitoes liberated Haiti”.

In April,1802, the French agreed to a truce. French captured L’Ouverture and carried him, in chains, to France where he died ten months later 1804- Haitian leaders declared independence as Napoleon abandoned Haiti. 1820- Haiti became a republic.

Connections to Today NY Times Upfront