The International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition was established by UNESCO (The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) on August 23, 1998. This date honors the Haitian Revolution, which began on August 23, 1791. However, many people still don’t know about this important day. Similarly, many do not recognize the significant role Haiti played in ending slavery. Haiti is a nation founded by formerly enslaved Africans who fought for and won their freedom during the Haitian Revolution (1791–1804). After winning its independence from France on January 1, 1804, Haiti became the first nation to permanently abolish slavery. Yet this achievement is rarely highlighted.

Everyone should learn about the Haitian Revolution because the freedoms often taken for granted in the modern world are largely based on the laws and philosophical principles established in Haiti. The creation of Haiti as an independent nation in 1804 established a precedent in the American hemisphere for slavery’s abolition. Haiti’s leaders abolished and forbade slavery in their country’s declaration of independence and in its first constitution in 1805.

The Haitian Revolution didn’t just stay within Haiti’s borders, either. It inspired many other slave revolts and rebellions, especially in the United States. Haiti’s fight for freedom influenced freedom fighters like Denmark Vesey and Nat Turner. Across the Caribbean, the impact was also profound. In 1795, inspired by the Haitian revolution, Julien Fédon, a free man of color on the island of Grenada, led a rebellion against slavery. Fédon became a national hero in the process. The Haitian government famously aided the Venezuelan freedom fighter Simon Bolívar in his war of independence from Spain, too. But this was on the condition that Bolívar promised to abolish slavery. If more rulers had followed Haiti’s lead right away, the world could have seen an earlier end to slavery. Yet many waited until their own colonies or countries were threatened by slave rebellions or civil wars, as in the case of the United States.

Global Repercussions of the Haitian Revolution

In 1803, when Thomas Jefferson was president, the United States bought a huge piece of land from France called the Louisiana Territory for 80 million francs, or about $15 million. This deal, known as the Louisiana Purchase, doubled the size of the United States and showed that the United States wanted to expand across the continent. Yet this purchase further strained the relationship between Haiti and the United States. Many French colonists had fled from Saint-Domingue (as Haiti was known as a French colony) to the United States, ending up in places like New Orleans and Philadelphia. Partly in response, the United States passed the Alien and Sedition Act of 1798, to curb further French colonial immigration. Later, under the influence of southern US enslavers, instead of supporting Haiti, President Jefferson decided to cut off trade with the country. He was so worried that Haiti’s antislavery ideas would lead to the end of slavery in the United States that he instituted a trade embargo in 1806. This meant that no goods could be traded between the two countries.

The United States was not the only country to punish Haiti for daring to be free. In 1825, French king Charles X told Haiti’s president Jean-Pierre Boyer that France would only recognize Haitian independence if Haiti paid a huge amount of money. The sum, 150 million francs, or approximately 22 billion US dollars in today’s money, was almost double the price of the Louisiana Purchase. If Haiti refused, Charles threatened war. Faced with this difficult choice, President Boyer agreed to the payments. But this decision led to terrible consequences for the Haitian people. The amount of money France demanded was enormous and required Haiti to take on huge loans to pay the debt.

When Spain, Great Britain, France, and the United States abolished slavery, they did something that might seem surprising and unfair as well. These nations paid money, called indemnities, to the people who had enslaved others. They did not provide payment to the people who had been enslaved. Former enslaved peoples had to suddenly start their new lives by finding work, building homes, and creating alternative communities. They did so without any financial support from the governments that had kept them in bondage for so long. The history of the Haitian Revolution and the world’s response to it helps us understand the long-lasting effects of slavery. It provides perspective for why it has been so hard for Haitians and other formerly enslaved peoples across the world to gain equality and prosperity.