The Effects of the Hatian Revolution on Caribbean Society and Culture
The Haitian revolution occurred during the period 1791 to 1804 when conflict developed in the French colony of Saint-Dominique, which culminated in the elimination of slavery. Conflict between the classes of St Dominique sparked revolts in different parts of the island which led to many individuals being killed and others fleeing to surrounding countries in attempts to start a new life. The Haitian revolution was inspired by the French revolution; which brought fort ideas of liberty, fraternity and equality. Haiti was the new symbol of African liberation in the west and in 1804, after 13 years of civil war and revolution in St. Dominique, the enslaved emerged free and victorious; they became nation builders and declared Haiti as an independent state. The Haitian revolution affected the wider Caribbean in various ways as many countries benefited greatly from the Haitian revolution economically, politically and socially. Haiti had depended mostly on estate work which produced crops such as coffee and sugar cane in order to keep economic stability, but during the war leading up to the independence of the country, many of the estates where destroyed and production of export crops declined. (Allen, Gilmore, McCallum, Ramdeen, 2004).
This caused an economic impact on the Caribbean region as the decline of Haitian exports created a high demand for sugar cane. This demand was met by surrounding countries but was led by countries such as Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago who excelled in the export of sugar cane after Haiti lost its market. The skills brought by migrant workers to both countries helped them to meet the export demands of the market. They then taught these skills to the members of their own workforce in order to permanently increase productivity. In conjunction with spreading skills, the individuals that fled Haiti during the war period diffused their culture throughout many Caribbean countries. They practiced their culture as well as the culture of the
This caused an economic impact on the Caribbean region as the decline of Haitian exports created a high demand for sugar cane. This demand was met by surrounding countries but was led by countries such as Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago who excelled in the export of sugar cane after Haiti lost its market. The skills brought by migrant workers to both countries helped them to meet the export demands of the market. They then taught these skills to the members of their own workforce in order to permanently increase productivity. In conjunction with spreading skills, the individuals that fled Haiti during the war period diffused their culture throughout many Caribbean countries. They practiced their culture as well as the culture of the