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Year 9

The causes of the Haitian Revolution

I can explain why enslaved people in Saint-Domingue rose up in revolt in 1791.

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Year 9

The causes of the Haitian Revolution

I can explain why enslaved people in Saint-Domingue rose up in revolt in 1791.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The French colony of Saint-Domingue's economy was based on enslaved people working on plantations.
  2. Most of the people on Saint-Domingue were enslaved people, but the population was diverse.
  3. French revolutionary ideas of equality and liberty caused a growth in abolitionist feeling among the colony's people.
  4. In 1791, a slave revolt broke out on the island, assisted by so-called 'free blacks' and indigenous people.
  5. Toussaint L'Ouverture emerged as the leader of the Haitian Revolution.

Keywords

  • Prosperous - refers to being economically successful or wealthy

  • Grands blancs - this was the name given to the group of French elites who ruled over the colony of Saint-Domingue

  • Indigenous - the original inhabitants of a specific area

  • Hierarchy - refers to a system in which members of a society are ranked according to status or authority

Common misconception

All the peoples who revolted in Saint-Domingue were enslaved people.

The revolutionaries of Saint-Domingue were comprised of a combination of enslaved people, free people of African descent and free indigenous people.


To help you plan your year 9 history lesson on: The causes of the Haitian Revolution, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Help students to appreciate the irony that the new French Republic (founded on ideals of liberty and equality) was repressing a revolution, in one of their own colonies, where the revolutionaries themselves were inspired by French revolutionary ideals.
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  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
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Adult supervision recommended

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This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What was the name of the 17th century thought movement that caused revolutions around the world?
the Middle Ages
the Scientific Revolution
Correct answer: the Enlightenment
the Renaissance
Q2.
Which country, inspired by Enlightenment ideas, overthrew their king in 1798, and executed him in 1793?
Correct Answer: France, france
Q3.
Put the following in chronological order, starting with the earliest.
1 - the Scientific Revolution
2 - the Enlightenment
3 - the American Revolution
4 - the French Revolution
5 - the Haitian Revolution
Q4.
Match the following people with their correct nationality.
Correct Answer:King Louis XVI,French king executed during the Enlightenment
tick

French king executed during the Enlightenment

Correct Answer:John Locke,English Enlightenment philosopher who believed in the Social Contract
tick

English Enlightenment philosopher who believed in the Social Contract

Correct Answer:David Hulme,Scottish Enlightenment philosopher
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Scottish Enlightenment philosopher

Correct Answer:Galileo,Italian scientist who discovered the Earth revolves around the sun
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Italian scientist who discovered the Earth revolves around the sun

Q5.
What is the name of the country created after a revolt of enslaved people, inspired by the Enlightenment, in the French colony of Saint-Domingue in 1791?
Correct Answer: Haiti, haiti
Q6.
What is the historical name for the 'Age' that the Enlightenment gave rise to?
The Age of Retribution
Correct answer: The Age of Revolution
The Age of Religion
The Age of Revelation

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Roughly how many enslaved African people were forced to work on plantations in Saint-Domingue by the end of the 18th century?
5000
50 000
Correct answer: 500 000
5 000 000
Q2.
Arrange the following events into chronological order, starting with the earliest.
1 - France experienced revolution and their king was executed.
2 - France promised freedom and equality for everyone living under French rule.
3 - The grands blancs refused to pass rights on to Saint-Domingue's free people.
4 - The free people of Saint-Domingue formed an alliance with enslaved Africans.
5 - Revolt broke out in Saint-Domingue.
6 - Toussaint L’Ouverture became the leader of the revolt.
Q3.
Complete the following sentence: The French Revolution in 1789 promised new rights and to all who lived under French rule, including its colonies such as Saint-Domingue.
Correct Answer: freedoms, Freedoms, freedom, Freedom, liberty
Q4.
Which of the below groups of people were the other 'free people' aside from the grands blancs in Saint-Domingue?
enslaved African people
Correct answer: indigenous Taino people
Correct answer: free people of African origin (so-called 'free blacks')
Q5.
Complete the following sentence: Saint-Domingue’s free people of colour found common cause with the African population who had faced years of oppression and forced labour.
Correct Answer: enslaved, Enslaved
Q6.
What word describes the 'stratification' of a society into levels where those at the top have power and authority, and those at the bottom have no power or authority?
Correct Answer: hierarchy, Hierarchy, hierarchical, Hierarchical, hieracy

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