Why The Haitian Revolution Inspired So Many Rebellions Spencer Platt/Getty Images
By Marina Manoukian/Dec. 10, 2020 2:44 pm EDT/Updated: March 1, 2021 9:36 am EDT
The Haitian Revolution not only led to Haiti's independence, but it set off a ripple effect of uprisings by enslaved people across the Caribbean and South America. Although not all of the revolts that it inspired were successful, each and every uprising chipped away at the sovereignty of colonial empires.
The Haitian Revolution was in turn inspired by the French Revolution of 1789, which set the standard for the ideals of liberty and freedom that nations had the right to aspire towards. Since the colonies were built on a "foundation of bondage, inequality, and prejudice," the hypocrisy of the French was promptly challenged. While earlier rebellions merely sought to withdraw from colonial society, the Haitian Revolution sought to completely overthrow the system.