The Black Jacobins

THE HISTORY of the Haitian revolution is chronicled in a book call The Black Jacobins written by C.L.R. James, the famous Trinidadian historian. C.L.R. James was inspired by the outstanding performance of the great military leader Toussaint L’ Ouverture and hailed him as the Black Jacobin, a nomenclature which does not fit completely.{{more}}

The French Revolution

When the French broke out in rebellion in 1789, they were reacting to the economic conditions at the time. But the political factors were as important because the system did not make provision for times of hardship. For many years, there was the belief that the political system was in decay, for while the monarchy and the aristocrats flourished, the poor appeared to get poorer. The system of monarchy facilitated the privileged class and allowed them to extract the wealth of the land while the lower class remained unavoidably improvident. The system was rotten at the core, with the lower classes of people bearing the brunt in times of hardship. There were bread riots and there was a march on Versailles, the residence of the king, where crowds of hungry Parisians went for the baker, the baker’s wife and his son. There was no intention at that time to destroy the monarchical system of government, but the people were simply asking to supply a basic human need – food. A chain of events followed, which led to the execution of the King and Queen and the setting up of a republic. During this time of uncertainty, many groups appeared, and among them was a group called the Jacobins.

The White Jacobins

The Jacobins played an important role in the French Revolution. Originally a small group of deputies in the Estate General, their influence spread in Jacobin clubs all over France. They were moderate in their approach to government, but with the threats internally and externally, they became radical and even brutal. It was they who carried out the reign of terror in which many royalists and counter-revolutionaries were executed. The most outstanding member of the group was Maximillien Robespierre who was the last to be swallowed up by the reign of terror. This group was the chief advocate of the republican form of government who saw it as the only suitable one to replace the monarchy. Useful as it was, the reign of terror left a deep stain on the regime and the history of the revolution and the policy has been associated with left wing revolutionary government.

Toussaint L’Ouverture

When the rebellion broke out in Haiti, Toussaint L’Ouverture did not respond immediately to the call to battle, and it was said that he kept his master’s plantation quiet for a while. Eventually he heeded the call to fight for freedom, and in battle he distinguished himself as a great fighter. It was this great fighting spirit that C.L.R. James admired. He saw him as a revolutionary leader, fighting for the freedom of slaves and making significant gaps in the ranks of the enemy. In his role as a revolutionary leader, Toussaint was similar to the Jacobins. However, Toussaint cannot be compared to the Jacobins who organized the reign of terror against other whites. He rebuked his soldiers from committing atrocities against the whites. I will continue this next week.

Ada Johnson is a solicitor and barrister-at-law.
E-mail address is: exploringthelaw@yahoo.com