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St. Domingo, its revolution and its hero, Toussaint Louverture. cover

St. Domingo, its revolution and its hero, Toussaint Louverture.

Chapter 2: I.
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About This Book

The discourse surveys the colony's exploitation under plantation agriculture and the transatlantic slave trade, outlines the social divisions among wealthy planters, poor whites, free people of color, and enslaved Africans, and recounts repeated insurrections leading to a revolutionary upheaval. It offers a condensed life of Toussaint Louverture, following his rise from slavery to military and political leadership, the island's brief emancipation and prosperity, renewed warfare with metropolitan forces, and the eventual treachery, defeat, and death of the leader, concluding with the revolution's consequences for the colony.

I.

I have thought that a short life of Toussaint Louverture might be desirable for two purposes:—one is, that it may, in some degree, weaken that bitter prejudice of color, which denies the blacks the rights of citizens—which drives them away from the Communion-table—and will not let them enter an omnibus, nor, if it can prevent it, into Heaven.

The other is, that it may encourage the blacks to deserve respect and honor—as he did—by growing industrious, and rich, and intelligent, and brave, and noble, and strong, and so prove their manhood against all infidels, north and south—in the Church and out of it.

It should be borne in mind, that Toussaint was a negro, and that he was not more ashamed of being black than he should be of being white.