Marla_Singer
United in diversity
@ProctorSilex : very well-written post and I agree with many of your points.
I would just bring additional elements about that point:
During the French revolution, all men were declared born free and equal in rights, by law, in France in 1789. Then slaves revolted because it didn't apply to them, leading Governor Sonthonax to locally abolish slavery in Saint-Domingue in 1793, abolition being ultimately voted by the French Parliament in 1794. Following this will result 10 years of war in the Caribbeans against Spain and England (both fearing abolition would spread to their territory), a war ultimately won by the French side conqueering all the island of Hispaniola, with most of soldiers being freedmen lead by General Toussaint Louverture.
Then later in 1802, during a European peace interval, Napoleon got in conflict with Louverture who didn't follow his order about making peace with England. This conflict will lead Napoleon to declare reinstitution of slavery, but that reinstitution will never take effect. Indeed Saint-Domingue is then already governed by freedmen who have obviously no intent to become slave again. Napoleon then sent an expeditionary force to quash rebels in 1803, which will ultimately lose the fight (actually the first Napoleon loss in History), leading Jean-Jacques Dessalines to declare the independence of Saint-Domingue, now known as Haiti, on january 1st of 1804.
If I tell this, it's not only for historical reasons, but also because Saint-Domingue's abolition of slavery happened in 1793, meaning before 1800, which is supposed to be the end of the game temporal scope. Therefore I disagree when people say abolition shouldn't be pictured in the game because it's out of scope, it's not. The end of slavery didn't begin in 1861 with Abraham Lincoln. As a matter of fact, the US abolition of slavery is a direct consequence of Saint-Domingue's abolition of slavery, which will have domino effects all accross the Americas. If we want to get things more technical, many British colonies in the North abolished slavery even earlier (but they had no slave).
I would just bring additional elements about that point:
I don't know why people believe in such a thing, but the Haitian Revolution cannot be reduced to a revolt against "French slave masters". It was much deeper than that.
During the French revolution, all men were declared born free and equal in rights, by law, in France in 1789. Then slaves revolted because it didn't apply to them, leading Governor Sonthonax to locally abolish slavery in Saint-Domingue in 1793, abolition being ultimately voted by the French Parliament in 1794. Following this will result 10 years of war in the Caribbeans against Spain and England (both fearing abolition would spread to their territory), a war ultimately won by the French side conqueering all the island of Hispaniola, with most of soldiers being freedmen lead by General Toussaint Louverture.
Then later in 1802, during a European peace interval, Napoleon got in conflict with Louverture who didn't follow his order about making peace with England. This conflict will lead Napoleon to declare reinstitution of slavery, but that reinstitution will never take effect. Indeed Saint-Domingue is then already governed by freedmen who have obviously no intent to become slave again. Napoleon then sent an expeditionary force to quash rebels in 1803, which will ultimately lose the fight (actually the first Napoleon loss in History), leading Jean-Jacques Dessalines to declare the independence of Saint-Domingue, now known as Haiti, on january 1st of 1804.
If I tell this, it's not only for historical reasons, but also because Saint-Domingue's abolition of slavery happened in 1793, meaning before 1800, which is supposed to be the end of the game temporal scope. Therefore I disagree when people say abolition shouldn't be pictured in the game because it's out of scope, it's not. The end of slavery didn't begin in 1861 with Abraham Lincoln. As a matter of fact, the US abolition of slavery is a direct consequence of Saint-Domingue's abolition of slavery, which will have domino effects all accross the Americas. If we want to get things more technical, many British colonies in the North abolished slavery even earlier (but they had no slave).
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