Essay on Revolutions: Haiti and Napoleon Bonaparte

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Layna Spence
Mr. Laines H Block
March 6, 2013
Comparative Revolutions Essay During the late 18th century, enlightenment ideas started to become more apparent. Before this time enlightenment ideas only were written down, explored, or talked about with others. At this time, these sophisticated thoughts were now put into action as now it was a time of revolt and revolution. This ignited Revolutions around the world. Both Haiti and France went through a Revolution. France and Haiti had great leaders who both had notorious and significant ways in ruling. Although Napoleon Bonaparte and Toussaint Louverture ruled on opposite sides of the world, they had similarities in their leadership. These similarities helped them become politically successful after being successful in the military. Toussaint’s father, born a free man in Africa taught Toussaint about Africa. Toussaint had a liberal master who had him trained as a house servant and permitted him to learn to read and write. Toussaint loved reading from those enlightenment thinkers who wrote about equality and rights. The Haitian revolution was the first successful slave revolt the world had seen. The Haitian citizens wanted freedom at all costs. They were determined to be equal. They insisted the prisoner exchange as an offer to the whites, but they declined, this ignited the slave army to finally take action. In 1789 France made the “Declaration of Rights of Man” which prohibited all slavery. The plantation owners were furious and decided to fight back; with the help from the French he destroyed his Spanish enemies. In 1794, he became the leader of Saint Dominque, he was appointed as governor for life. He selected his own successor in Jean-Jacques Dessalines. Toussaint then made his own constitution and clearly states that slavery will never exist again. In this Constitution, Toussaint also brings equality and prohibits discrimination against skin color.
In France, the people were tired of the way the government was working, they were tired of its ineffectiveness. There was also the French National debt that Louis XVI had inherited. A revolt occurred then, the Storming of the Bastille, this was the turning point of the Revolution. Napoleon Bonaparte born on the island of Corsica in1769 was educated at three schools; Autun, military college of Brienne, and one year at the military academy in Paris. Napoleon had finished a three year military school in one year. In 1785, his father died. He was made second lieutenant in the royal artillery. Napoleon then left the artillery to become the First Consul of France in 1799, later he was named Consul for Life by the people. Napoleon changed his name to Emperor of Franc, Napoleon pleased the people with Revolutionary reforms. He made peace with the Church, he set up a free education system, and he imposed a centralized tax system. But most of all, Napoleon gave all men equal rights with equality of all men before the law, although women and slaves were not a part of this law. Napoleon established the five law codes. Napoleon was not perfect as he also installed repressions. Repressions being lack of civil rights, and freedom of speech, and to make sure
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