Charles Bélair raises a renewed revolt

Toussaint Louverture promulgated the Constitution of Saint-Domingue on 8 July 1801. It declared that slavery was forever abolished, barred racial distinctions in principle, and made Toussaint...

In early February, a large French expedition under Charles Leclerc arrived to reassert French authority. Henri Christophe refused to surrender Cap-Français; revolutionary forces set much of the city...

French forces began a sustained assault on the fortified position at Crête-à-Pierrot, where Dessalines and revolutionary soldiers resisted for weeks. The defenders eventually broke out on 24 March...

After months of fighting and defections, Toussaint Louverture entered Cap-Français and accepted Leclerc’s authority in exchange for amnesty and guarantees, then retired to his estate. This was a...

Leclerc had Toussaint Louverture arrested after inviting him to a meeting, despite the recent settlement and assurances of safety. Toussaint and members of his family were sent to France and...

After crossing the Atlantic in French custody, Toussaint Louverture arrived at Fort de Joux in the Jura. He was isolated from his family and political community and held without trial. His...

French authorities tried Charles and Sanité Bélair by military commission and executed them at Cap-Français. Sanité, a Black woman revolutionary and officer, demanded to be shot as a soldier rather...

Alexandre Pétion and Clervaux deserted the French side and joined the insurgency, followed by troops under their command. Their choice reflected mounting fear that French rule would strip Black and...

Charles Leclerc died at Cap-Français during the epidemic that devastated the French expeditionary force. Disease, resistance, and logistical strain undermined France’s effort to reimpose colonial...

Toussaint Louverture died at Fort de Joux after months of imprisonment without trial. His death in exile did not end the revolution. The movement he had helped shape continued under leaders and...