Hi there, I'm Mr. Roberts and thanks for joining me for today's history lesson, where my job will be to guide you through our history resources.

I'll be making sure that by the end of today's lesson you'll be able to securely meet our lesson objective.

By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to successfully describe the role of Toussaint L'Ouverture in the Haitian Revolution.

There are five key terms that will help us to navigate our way through today's lesson.

Economic is a term to describe activities that involve trying to make money.

Guerilla refers to a style of fighting that is not out in the open, but instead is conducted as secretly as possible.

Governor is the title given to the ruler of a country that usually still has to answer to someone above them, such as a king or emperor, or a government in another country, Elites are the people at the top of society with access to money and power.

And autonomous refers to the idea that a person, organisation, or nation can act independently from anyone else's control.

Our lesson today is split into three parts, and we're going to begin by examining the emergence and success of Toussaint L'Ouverture.

Saint- Domingue was France's most profitable colony in the Caribbean.

Its economic success was a product of the work of enslaved Africans who endured harsh conditions on sugarcane, coffee, and cotton plantations.

The colony itself was governed by the white French plantation owners known as Grand Blanc, and they relied heavily on the brutal exploitation of their enslaved workforce.

By the 1790s, Saint- Domingue was home to half a million enslaved Africans, outnumbering the roughly 30,000 Grand Blanc and 30,000 other free people of colour in the colony.

There was a rigid social hierarchy in place, with Grand Blanc at the top, free people of colour and indigenous groups in the middle and enslaved Africans at the bottom.

Tensions between the Grand Blanc and other groups intensified when the French revolutionary promises of equality and freedom failed to materialise for the non-white population after 1789.

Denied their rights, free people of colour and enslaved people united against their oppressors, and in 1791, a revolt erupted on the island.

Toussaint L'Ouverture, a free man of colour and colony resident, emerged as the rebellion's highly skilled military leader.

Now, before we move on, I'd like you to complete the two sentences on the screen using your knowledge that you've gained so far.

Press pause and restart this video when you've completed the learning check.

Welcome back.

Well done If your sentences read like this, "Saint- Domingue was France's most profitable colony in the Caribbean." And "Toussaint L'Ouverture, a free man of colour and colony resident, emerged as the rebellion's highly skilled military leader." L'Ouverture was known for his strategic insights and ability to adapt to changing circumstances, and he was able to transform a disorganised group of rebels into a disciplined and formidable fighting force.

He trained his fighters in guerilla warfare, which was a method of warfare that suited the terrain of the island of Hispaniola, which was home to both the French colony of Saint- Domingue and the Spanish colony of Santo Domingo.

This allowed the rebels to engage in hit and run attacks on French soldiers sent to calm the rebellion, successfully avoiding direct confrontations with the better equipped French troops.

L'Ouverture aimed to emancipate all people on the island, including in the island's Spanish controlled territory, conquering the territory of Santo Domingo shortly afterwards.

France's revolutionary government now began to see the error of their ways and made the decision to cease their opposition to the revolt, recognising L'Ouverture strength and skill and making him the island's official French governor.

He went to work on improving life on the island for all those who had been oppressed prior to the revolution.

Let's do another quick learning check before we continue.

"Which method of warfare did L'Ouverture's troops use? A.

Open warfare on flat terrain.

B.

Hit and run guerilla warfare.

Or C.

Naval warfare fighting at sea." Pause the video, and when you've decided on the right answer, press play.

Welcome back, and well done If you selected B as the correct answer.

It is true to say that Toussaint L'Ouverture's troops used hit and run guerilla warfare during the Haitian Revolution, which was suited to the mountainous terrain and not a style of warfare that European Armies were used to fighting.

Now for a slightly larger task, I would like you, based on what you now know, to match the key features of the Haitian Revolution on the left with the correct descriptions on the right.

Pause the video while you do this and then press play when you are ready to continue.

Welcome back.

And well done if you correctly identified Saint- Domingue as the French colony on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean.

Le Grand Blanc with the French elites who ruled Saint- Domingue.

Guerilla warfare refers to fighting conducted in secret.

Santo Domingo was the Spanish colony on the island of Hispaniola, in the Caribbean.

Emancipation refers to enslaved people gaining their freedom.

And Governor is the title given to Toussaint L'Ouverture after the revolt.

Well done for any of those you were able to match up correctly.

Now it's time for us to move on to the second part of our lesson today, where we'll be learning about the British invasion of Saint- Domingue that occurred after L'Ouverture had secured the island against the French.

And Britain's own attempts to reinstate enslavement there.

Across the Atlantic in Europe, Britain looked on at events in Saint- Domingue and became increasingly concerned.

The British elites worried that a successful slave revolt in Saint- Domingue would inspire similar uprisings in their own colonies in the Caribbean, where they held and relied upon a massive enslaved workforce, for example, in Jamaica and Barbados.

Accordingly, Britain began to consider taking action.

As an enemy of France at this time, Britain also saw this as an opportunity to assert its own authority over the French colony and make it part of the British empire.

France's revolutionary government, having put an end to their opposition to L'Ouverture and banning slavery in 1794, gave Britain another reason to worry as it continued to profit from the transatlantic slave trade.

As a result, in 1797, British soldiers under the leadership of General Maitland, invaded the island of Hispaniola, home to both the French colony of Saint- Domingue and the Spanish colony of Santo Domingo.

The British encountered fierce resistance from L'Ouverture's now well-organized army.

Now, before we move on, let's just check that we've secured a key piece of information.

"Britain was worried about slave revolts spreading around the Caribbean.

Which two territories were they worried about in particular? A.

Barbados and Jamaica.

B.

France and Barbados.

Or C.

Jamaica and France." Pause the video while you consider these three options and press play when you're ready for me to reveal the answer.

Hello again.

Well done if you correctly selected A as the correct answer.

Britain was worried about potential slave revolts spreading to their colonies and plantations, firstly in Jamaica, which was close to Saint- Domingue and then to Barbados, which was further away, but still within the Caribbean.

The situation in Saint- Domingue had become complicated.

Having initially overthrown their French rulers, L'Ouverture's rebels now found themselves fighting against the British for similar reasons.

British forces were partially successful in securing parts of the island, where they probably went about attempting to re-establish plantations worked on by enslaved people.

However, France was determined that having nearly lost the colony to the rebels, and having now outlawed enslavement across their empire, they would help L'Ouverture's troops resist the British Army.

L'Ouverture soldiers were initially wary of allying with France, who they had originally risen up against six years earlier.

But France guaranteed L'Ouverture's troops freedom if they helped expel the British, which they eventually did in 1798.

Britain agreed to withdraw its troops when they've received an agreement from L'Ouverture that he would not attempt to spread the revolt to Jamaica.

Now, I'd like you to have a look at Jacob's statement, which is incorrect.

Jacob says, "Spain promised to let L'Ouverture's troops keep their freedom if they help defeat the British invasion of Saint- Domingue.

France had declared slavery legal throughout their empire in 1794." Pause the video while you identify and correct the two mistakes in Jacob's statement.

And press play for some feedback.

Welcome back.

And well done if you corrected Jacob's statement to look like this, "France promised to let L'Ouverture's troops keep their freedom if they help defeat the British invasion of Saint- Domingue.

France had declared slavery illegal throughout their empire in 1794." Now, I'd like you to attempt the following task on the screen.

Using the four sentence starters to help you, explain why the British invaded Saint- Domingue and the outcome of the invasion.

Pause the video while you complete this piece of writing and press play again when you're ready for a model answer.

Hello again.

Even though different people will have written different amounts in answer to this question, well done if you manage to include any of the following.

"In 1791, half a million enslaved African people joined with around 30,000 free people of colour and overthrew Saint- Domingue's ruling elites, abolishing slavery.

This worried Britain because their Caribbean colonies were nearby and the work done there by huge numbers of enslaved people had major economic benefits for the British Empire.

Britain, under General Maitland, invaded Saint- Domingue in order to seize the colony, reinstate slavery, and ensure revolts did not spread to their colonies, such as Jamaica and Barbados.

The invasion was a disaster and Britain was forced to withdraw in defeat, having failed to seize the colony or reinstate enslavement there.

They did however secure an agreement from L'Ouverture that he would not attempt to spread the revolt to Jamaica." Thanks for your hard work on that task.

And now it's time for us to move on to the final part of today's lesson, where we'll be learning about Toussaint L'Ouverture's time as governor of the now autonomous Saint- Domingue.

L'Ouverture's leadership and the commitment of his soldiers were instrumental in resisting the British invasion.

Now, as the island's official governor, he turned his attention to stabilising the colony and helping its economic and social development.

He attempted to empower the island's majority black population, many of whom were formerly enslaved, and he tried to bring together the island's different ethnic groups to live in harmony with one another.

L'Ouverture also focused on rebuilding Saint- Domingue's economy, which had been severely disrupted by years of conflict and rebellion.

He encouraged agricultural production, particularly of sugar and coffee, in an attempt to stabilise the colonies finances.

L'Ouverture had thousands of skilled, formerly enslaved workers, whom he could pay to farm foods, both for the population to consume and to trade with other countries, in particular, France, with whom he maintained economic ties.

In addition, he met with foreign leaders to try and secure Saint- Domingue's autonomous status within the French Empire, seeking at the same time to maintain economic and political ties with the French Republic, which had abolished slavery in 1794.

By remaining in the French Empire, L'Ouverture believed he would have France's protection if anyone tried to invade Saint- Domingue and reinstate slavery, like the British had recently tried to do.

However, L'Ouverture wanted autonomy for Saint- Domingue, meaning France would allow L'Ouverture to govern as he wanted to ensure the rebels got what they originally wanted, freedom from French oppression.

However, Napoleon Bonaparte's seizure of power in Paris in 1799 put L'Ouverture's hard work in jeopardy due to the fact that Napoleon had now turned his attention towards reasserting control over all French territories, Saint- Domingue included.

Napoleon also had plans to reinstate enslavement across the French Empire, and in 1802, he began to make plans for an invasion of L'Ouverture's now semi-autonomous island.

Now it's just time to check if we've secured some more key information.

True or false.

"Toussaint L'Ouverture wanted to cut ties with France completely." Pause the video while you make a decision and press play when you are ready to resume.

Hello again and well done if you said false.

Now let's justify that answer.

Which of the following statements is accurate? "A.

Toussaint L'Ouverture wanted to leave the French Empire and the protection it provided, but still trade with France.

or B.

Toussaint L'Ouverture wanted to remain under the protection of the French Empire and trade with France." Pause the video while you consider the answer, and when you're ready, press play to continue.

Welcome back and well done if you said B.

"Toussaint L'Ouverture wanted to remain under the protection of the French Empire and trade with France." Next, I'd like you to decide which four of the six options on the screen did Toussaint L'Ouverture attempt to do during his time as official French governor of Saint- Domingue.

You have the choice between re-stabilizing the economy, encouraging agricultural production, reinstating enslavement in the colony, meeting with foreign leaders, maintaining economic ties with France and declaring independence from France.

Pause the video while you select the correct four options and come back to this video when you're ready to continue.

Welcome back and well done if you said that Toussaint L'Ouverture attempted to re stabilise the economy, encourage agricultural production, meets with foreign leaders and maintain economic ties with France during his time as official French governor of Saint- Domingue.

Finally now, I'd like you to answer the questions on the screen using what you've learned so far.

As ever, pause the video while you complete your answers and press play when you're ready for a model answer for each one.

Welcome back.

Firstly, I asked you how Toussaint L'Ouverture tried to re-stabilize Saint- Domingue's economy during his time as governor.

Well done if your answer sounded anything like this, "Toussaint L'Ouverture tried to re-stabilize Saint- Domingue's economy in a number of ways after years of war with both France and Britain.

Even though he had abolished enslavement, he tried to restart agricultural production in the colonies plantations for economic benefit.

L'Ouverture had thousands of skilled, formerly enslaved workers, whom he could pay to farm foods both for the population to consume and to trade with other countries, in particular France, with whom he maintained economic ties." Next, I asked you what Toussaint L'Ouverture did in an attempt to ensure Saint- Domingue remained autonomous.

Well done if you included any of the following.

"In an attempt to ensure Saint- Domingue remained autonomous, Toussaint L'Ouverture met with foreign leaders to get them to recognise Saint- Domingue as a colony that operated freely under the protection of the French Empire." And finally, I asked you why maintaining economic ties with France might have been so important.

So well done if you mentioned any of the following, "Meeting with foreign leaders to secure Saint- Domingue's autonomy under the protection of the French Empire was very important because France had outlawed slavery in 1794 throughout its empire.

By remaining in the French Empire, L'Ouverture believed he would have France's protection if anyone tried to invade Saint- Domingue and reinstate slavery, just as the British had recently tried to do.

However, L'Ouverture wanted autonomy for Saint- Domingue, meaning France would allow L'Ouverture to govern as he wanted to ensure the rebels got what they had originally wanted, freedom from French oppression." Really well done for your efforts in answering all of those question.

And that brings us to the end of today's lesson where it's time to summarise what we've learned.

We learned in 1791, a slave revolt broke out in the French colony of Saint- Domingue in the Caribbean, with Toussaint L'Ouverture emerging as its talented and inspirational leader.

We learned that he aimed to emancipate all people on the island, and he organised the rebels into a formidable army, defeating the island's French elites.

We also learned that Britain then invaded to prevent the revolt spreading to their colonies and to restore slavery, which they relied on heavily.

And finally, we learned that France promised L'Ouverture's soldiers freedom if they help to defeat Britain, which the rebels achieved under L'Ouverture's leadership.

As a result, the French granted Saint- Domingue autonomy within the French Empire.

Thank you so much for joining me for this lesson.

It's been an absolute pleasure to guide you through our history resources, and I very much look forward to seeing you again in future lessons, where we will continue to learn about the course of the Haitian Revolution and its impact on the wider world.