Revolutions

4.18- Death to the French

Apr 11, 2016
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ANECDOTE

Extortion Then Execution In Jérémie

  • Dessalines supervised death squads that extorted valuables then executed detained whites, often using bayonets to avoid alerting nearby towns.
  • In Jérémie he staged fake protection fees, had prisoners dig up hidden wealth, then marched them to the edge of town to be decapitated.
INSIGHT

Massacre Was Specifically Anti French

  • The massacres targeted specifically French-born people, not all whites, sparing Americans, British and many Poles who had defected.
  • That selective extermination reinforced a policy of permanent exclusion enshrined later in Haiti's constitution.
INSIGHT

Massacre Led To White Exclusion In Constitution

  • The 1804 purge left Haiti nearly white-free and set a constitutional ban on Europeans owning property, institutionalizing exclusion.
  • The 1805 constitution forbade Europeans as masters and owners while giving blacks and freed people citizenship rights.
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