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What colony was Saint-Domingue?
Prior to gaining its independence in 1804, Haiti was the French colony of Saint-Domingue. Under French rule, Saint-Domingue grew to be the wealthiest colony in the French empire and, perhaps, the richest colony in the world.
What made Saint-Domingue a valuable colony?
Haiti’s early history is characterized by remarkable economic output. On the eve of the Haitian Revolution, Saint Domingue had become the most lucrative colony on earth. It was the world’s top producer of sugar and coffee and among the global leaders in indigo, cacao and cotton (which was rising rapidly in importance).
What groups lived in the colony of Saint-Domingue?
In 1789 Saint-Domingue had an estimated population of 556,000, including roughly 500,000 African slaves—a hundredfold increase over the previous century—32,000 European colonists, and 24,000 affranchis (free mulattoes [people of mixed African and European descent] or blacks).
What is Saint-Domingue now called?
Saint-Domingue, located in the Caribbean Sea, was a French colony from 1697 to 1804 and is today the independent nation of Haiti.
When was Haiti colonized?
The recorded history of Haiti began on 5 December 1492, when the European navigator Christopher Columbus landed on a large island in the region of the western Atlantic Ocean that later came to be known as the Caribbean.
Is Haiti a colony of France?
Haiti officially declared its independence from France in 1804. In October 1806, the country was split into two, with Alexandre Pétion ruling in the south and Henry Christophe ruling in the north.
What is the difference between Haiti and Saint-Domingue?
Soon after, slavery was abolished and, following a brutal war of liberation, the region finally gained independence in 1804. Saint-Domingue was renamed Haiti. But the former colony faced a mountain of challenges. The big estates were divided among the population and soon, almost every Haitian owned some land.
What happened in St Domingue?
Between 1791 and 1804 the Saint-Domingue revolution in the West Indies led to the abolition of slavery in the former French colony and the establishment of Haiti, the second independent republic in the Western Hemisphere and the first Western nation governed by persons of African descent.
Who were the first settlers in Haiti?
The original inhabitants of the island of Hispaniola (now Haiti/DR) were the indigenous Taíno, an Arawak-speaking people who began arriving from the Yucatan peninsula as early as 4000 BCE.
What is the difference between Saint-Domingue and Haiti?