This man was a former slave turned revolutionary general turned politician. He fought briefly with the Spanish, who had supporte
d slave revolts to help weaken the French hold on the region. He also helped steer the colony towards independence. In many ways he is the architect of Haitian independence, though he died in prison in France before it was actually free.
François Dominique Toussaint-Louverture (1743-1803) was one of the leaders of the Haitian revolution and the first African-descendant governor of a colony. Toussaint-Louverture was born a slave in the French colony of Santo Domingo. Freed by 33 years-old, a civil war took place in the Caribbean island during 1790 when the black men of the island accepted themselves as French citizens, claiming all the rights given by the Universal Declaration of Man and Citizen's Rights.
Years later, Toussaint was one of the main organizers of a revolt of slaves known as the <em>Haitian revolution</em>, the first and only successful revolt carried out by slaves in history.
Under the power of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821), in 1802 France took back the control of the island to reinstate the french authority and slavery. Toussaint was arrested and incarcerated in Fort de Joux where he died in 1803.
