Show A LEADER OF ROMANTIC RISE AND rall FALL OF TOUSSAINT LOUVER louverture TURF A character charach in history ory which has furnished r a theme for poets and orators napoleons Nap oleona base treatment of the great generalli general XI his la untimely end thirty years ago toussaint louverture LO nver was a name to conjure with poets and orators described his virtues anahis and his genius and cited him as ae an illustrious example of the capabilities of his race A romantic interest will wild always attach a tach to his name the fact that for fiat fifty y four years he lived in slave elave on a haytian plantation and the epic character of his hia suase subsequent qu ent achievements give a tinge of antique heroism to his history the french colony in hayti was long one of the greatest slave marts in the world at the time of the rench french F revolution there were wera in the colony whites free mul mulattoes altoes and r slaves the mulattoes many of whom had been educated in france took advantage of the revolution and obtained a recognition of their political rights frow froia tha french assembly bly the whites of hayti hayft hay ft refused to recognize the decision and a war broke out which was soon complicated by an uprising of the whole slave population on a memorable night in august 1791 the plantations were fired and many of the whites were in murdered ur toussaint had not at this time acquired c the name of this word the plied to him afterward because h he e opened a way for the freedom of his ra race e through the chaotic conditions of the following years in the dreadful wars of the years following the of the slaves his extraordinary tra influence over his race arld and his hia military genius gave him pre emi nonce nence over all other chiefs A design of freeing his hia race which could only be accomplished shed by making it the ru ruling I 1 in race of hayti gradually grad nally took r shape hape in his hia mind and forms the key note of his career france spain and england en land each bid high for his alliance att hut france declared for the freedom of the slaves and he finally ranged himself under tho the french flag it was evidently his desire to maintain a desirable connection with a european power which would yet leave him at liberty to develop his plans for his own race but the realization of wa hi idea required a disinterested coop co op aeration of which no european government was capable in a few years he had been recognized by france as commander in chief of the army of hayti and was waa practically dictator of the island As a ruler of hayti he surrounded himself with the tha pomp of a prince although I 1 personally he retained habits of severe simplicity he ate sparingly and slept little being possessed of binary powers of endurance indignity in di mi 3 of manner he was entirely equal to hia position he endeavored to reconcile conflicting races race sand and his rule was impartial and able but napoleon was not the man to allow a dictator under himself he sent an army of men inen to hayti to re store slavery and reduce the colony to subjection suspecting the true purpose of the expedition tion toussaint to lassaint resisted the landing of the army but finally laid down his arms anna after he had been assured that there was no intention of restoring slavery elavery and that he injured the cause of his race by resistance ho he was still too powerful to be openly seized but he was decoyed decayed into the french quarters and was then hurried on board a vessel and carried to fr france J ance he hoped to meet napoleon and defend his conduct but on landing ho he was secretly hurried to a lonely fortress in the alps where he shortly afterward died dia many wild wald stories attributing g his death to murder found credence at the time neglect and the change from a tropic to an alpine climate doubtless hastened his end by ids removal the progress of his hia race face was incalculably retarded while Tous saints fate and place of imprisonment were still unknown wadsworth wrote the beautiful sonnet to toussaint louverture his history is the subject of a drama by lamartine and of a novel the hour and the man by harriet martineau during the antislavery agitation in the united states he was cited as a most illustrious example of the real capabilities of his bis race A poem by whittier and an oration by bv wendell phillips phillipa commemorate his hia virtues and his hia genius detroit freo fm press |