"On January 1, 1804, Haiti declared independence, becoming the second independent nation in the West and the first free black republic in the world" ("History, par 11). This triumph followed the long and violent Haitian slave revolution in which Haiti, specifically the island of Saint Dominique suffered from. After the enlightenment the Rights of Man act provided equality among all Frenchmen, including blacks and mulattos. Fury rose in the plantation owners and they eventually got the act retracted in 1791. In reply, the Haitian slaves originally from Africa revolted. …
