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 explain why enslaved people in Saint-Domingue rose up in revolt in 1791.

There are four key terms that will help you to understand our lesson content today.

Prosperous refers to being economically successful or wealthy.

Grands blancs was the name given to the group of French elites who ruled over the colony of Saint-Domingue.

Indigenous refers to the original inhabitants of a specific area.

And hierarchy refers to a system in which members of a society are ranked according to status or authority.

Our lesson today is split into three parts, and we're going to begin our study of the causes of the Haitian Revolution by looking at life in Saint-Domingue during the 18th century, otherwise known as the 1700s.

Saint-Domingue was France's most prosperous colony in the Americas.

It was situated in the western parts of the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean.

In the eastern part of the island was the Spanish colony of Santo Domingo.

The island had ideal conditions for growing sugarcane, coffee, cacao, and cotton, which were then transported back to France to be sold to other European countries.

This plantation economy generated huge wealth for France, but it relies heavily on an enslaved African workforce, and the conditions they endured were incredibly harsh.

They were forced to work very long hours, especially during harvest time, and the work was gruelling and relentless with little opportunity for rest and recovery.

In addition, living conditions were often cramped and unsanitary contributing to the spread of diseases amongst the enslaved population.

Punishments for perceived wrongdoings were often severe, and could include whipping, mutilation, or even death.

The white French plantation owners and overseers known as grands blancs used this brutality to maintain control, and suppress any resistance causing misery and dreams of revolt amongst enslaved Africans under their control.

Now, let's do a brief learning check just to make sure that you've grasped a key concept that we need to take us throughout the rest of this lesson.

In Saint-Domingue, who used brutality to maintain control and suppress any resistance? A, enslaved Africans.

B, Indigenous people.

Or C, grands blancs.

Pause the video while you have a think about the answer, and when you've made a decision, press play.

Welcome back.

And well done if you said C.

In Saint-Domingue during the 18th century, the grands blancs used brutality to maintain control and suppress resistance from other peoples on the island.

Enslaved Africans made up the vast majority of the population given the demands of Saint-Domingue plantation economy.

By the 1790s, half a million enslaved Africans were living in Saint-Domingue, either having been born there or transported there from Africa.

The colony's elites consisted of around 30,000 white French settlers who acted as plantation owners, and governed the island on behalf of France's revolutionary government.

Similarly, as a result of the colony's role as a major trading post in the transatlantic slave trade, there was diversity in the population of the island.

There were around 30,000 other people of differing ethnicities living on the island, of which some were free people of colour with others belonging to the free Indigenous Taino people.

Neither of these two groups of free people, however, had anywhere near the power or wealth of the grands blancs.

Although Saint-Domingue was a melting pot of people and culture, there was a clear hierarchy with grands blancs at the top and enslaved Africans at the bottom with three people of other origins positioned in between.

Now, let's do another check for understanding with the following true or false question.

True or false.

There were around 500,000 enslaved Africans in Saint-Domingue by the 1790s.

Pause the video, and when you've made a choice, press play for the answer.

Hello again, and well done if you said it was true.

Now, let's justify our answer.

Which of the following justifications is accurate? A, half a million enslaved Africans were living in Saint-Domingue, having been born or transported there by France.

Or B, half a million enslaved Africans were living in Saint-Domingue, having been born or transported there by Spain.

Once again, pause the video and have a think.

Press play when you are ready for me to reveal the answer.

Welcome back, and well done if you said the accurate justification was A, half a million enslaved Africans were living in Saint-Domingue, having been born or transported there by France by the 1790s.

Now, let's attempt the following written task.

I would like you using your learning so far to describe the situation in Saint-Domingue in the late 18th century, otherwise known as the end of the 1700s.

In your answer, try to include the following.

Who lived there and how many there were in each group, and why Saint-Domingue was important to France.

Press pause while you complete this task, and then press play when you are ready for a model answer.

Welcome back.

And well done if your answer included any of the following.

By 1790, Saint-Domingue was home to a strict, social hierarchy of around 500,000 enslaved Africans who were owned and oppressed by a group of around 30,000 French elites known as grands blancs.

Additionally, there was another group of around 30,000 free people, both of African origin, and those who were indigenous to the Caribbean.

The colony of Saint-Domingue was the most prosperous in the French Empire, because it was a source of coffee, cacao, cotton, and sugar.

Enslaved Africans would work on plantations producing these products, which were then transported to France to be sold across Europe, making France incredibly wealthy and powerful in the late 18th century.

Well done for all your hard work there.

And now it's time to move on to the second part of today's lesson, where we'll be looking at the influence of the French Revolution on the French colony of Saint-Domingue.

The 18th century had seen the enlightenment movement sweep across Europe and the Americas.

Enlightenment philosophers believed in ideas of equality and freedom, which were ideas that will be seized upon by people in America and France, causing revolutions and toppling monarchies.

The French Revolution of 1789 promised new rights and freedoms to all who lived under French rule.

However, tensions between the grands blancs and the free people of Saint-Domingue grew when white French elites who governed the island refused to pass on these promised new rights and freedoms to the free people of colour in Saint-Domingue.

This caused deep anger amongst these groups who aspired to the same dreams and living standards as their white European rulers, but instead continued to face oppression and discrimination from the grands blancs.

These free people of colour found common cause with the enslaved African population who had faced years of oppression and forced labour, and the two groups began working together to try to overthrow the grands blancs in 1790.

Now, let's do another learning check.

True or false.

Tensions intensified between the free people of Saint-Domingue and the grands blancs.

Pause the video while you make a decision, and press play when you are ready to continue.

Welcome back, well done if you said true.

Tensions did intensify during the late 18th century between the free people of Saint-Domingue and the grands blancs.

Now, if we were to justify why the statement is true, which of the following justifications would be accurate? A, pensions intensified, because of the grands blancs' refusal to pass on freedom's promised by the French Revolutionaries.

Or B, tensions intensified, because of the grands blancs' acceptance of the new French revolutionary governance.

As ever, pause the video while you think about the answer, and come back to this video when you are ready to continue.

Hello again, and well done if you identified the correct justification as A, tensions intensified, because of the grands blancs' refusal to pass on freedoms promised by the French Revolutionaries.

Now, I'd like you to complete the sentences on the screen using what we've just been learning about.

Pause the video, and press play for the full sentences to be revealed.

Welcome back.

And well done if your answers sounded like this.

The French Revolution in 1789 promised new rights and freedoms to all who lived under French rule, including its colonies, such as Saint-Domingue.

And Saint-Domingue's free people of colour found common cause with the enslaved African population who had faced years of oppression and forced labour.

Now, I'd like you to complete the following task.

Explain why the French Revolution made relations worse between the grands blancs and the free people living in the colony.

Once again, pause this video while you complete this task, and press play when you are ready for a model answer.

Welcome back, and well done if your answer included any of the following.

The French Revolution in 1789 promised new rights and freedoms to all under French rule, but tensions grew between the grands blancs and the free people of Saint-Domingue when these rights and freedoms were not passed on to the free people of colour in the colony.

This caused deep anger amongst these groups who aspired the same living standards as their white European rulers, but instead, continue to face oppression and discrimination.

The free people of colour found common cause with the enslaved African population who had faced years of oppression and forced labour, and the two groups began working together to try to overthrow the grands blancs in 1790.

Really well done there, and that brings us nicely onto the final part of our lesson today, where we're going to be examining the outbreak of revolting the colony of Saint-Domingue in 1791.

In 1791, a slave revolt, which became known as the Haitian Revolution, broke out on the island assisted by so-called free Blacks and Indigenous peoples.

The revolt quickly spread across the colony, leading to widespread destruction of the plantations, which were the backbone of the colony's economy.

Slave owners and overseers were killed, and it was not long before the rebels held control over much of the colony of Saint-Domingue.

Now, before we move on, I'd like you to take a brief moment to pause this video and consider the following question.

In what year was the revolt of enslaved people in Saint-Domingue? A, 1789.

B, 1790.

Or C, 1791.

Pause the video while you come to a decision, and press play to continue.

Welcome back.

And well done if you said C, the revolt of enslaved people in Saint-Domingue assisted by free people of colour broke out in 1791.

Now, let's try another one.

What did the revolt in Saint-Domingue become known as? A, the Haitian Revolution.

B, the Indigenous Revolution.

Or C, the Saint-Domingue Revolution.

Press pause while you select an answer, and then press play for the correct answer to be revealed.

Hello again, and well done if you said A, the revolt in Saint-Domingue that broke out in 1791 would go on to become known as the Haitian Revolution.

Toussaint L'Ouverture, a formerly enslaved person and now a free man of colour was managing his own land in the colony.

He emerged as the leader of the revolt when his military and strategic skills quickly became apparent.

L'Ouverture was deeply influenced by enlightenment philosophy, and was committed to abolishing the institution of enslavement.

His vision resonated with the enslaved population who saw him as a liberator, and his force of personality and leadership qualities inspired loyalty and admiration amongst the rebels.

The revolt would eventually go on to succeed.

Thanks largely to the leadership and political skill of L'Ouverture and his commitments to the enlightenment ideals of freedom and equality for all regardless of racial identity.

Now that we've heard this, please correct Sophia's two mistakes.

Sophia says that Toussaint L'Ouverture was born in France.

He was an enslaved African who emerged as the revolution's leader after it broke out in 1791.

Pause the video while you identified the errors, and press play when you've corrected them.

Hello, again.

And well done if you corrected Sophia's statements to the following.

Toussaint L'Ouverture was born in Saint-Domingue.

He was a free man who emerged as the revolution's leader after it broke out in 1791.

Now it's time for our final task for today.

I would like you to use what you've learned so far to arrange the following events into chronological order, starting with the earliest.

Press pause to complete this task, and once you are done, return to this video for the correct chronological order to be revealed.

Welcome back.

Well done if your chronological order looks like this.

France experienced revolution and their king was executed.

France then promised freedom and equality for everyone living under French rule.

The grands blancs then refused to pass new revolutionary rights onto the free people of Saint-Domingue.

This was followed by the free people of Saint-Domingue, forming an alliance with the enslaved African people living there.

Revolt then broke out in Saint-Domingue.

Finally, Toussaint L'Ouverture became the leader of the revolution.

Really well done for all your hard work on that task, and thank you for all your hard work today throughout this lesson.

All that's left for us to do now is to sum up the key learning from today's lesson.

We began by looking at how the French colony of Saint-Domingue was prosperous, and relied on African enslaved people working on the plantations.

We then moved on to examining how the population of Saint-Domingue was diverse, but there was a hierarchy with grands blancs holding the power, and enslaved Africans at the bottom.

Next, we studied how French revolutionary ideas of equality and liberty caused a growth in abolitionist feeling amongst the colony's people, especially when they had no access to new rights, thanks to the grands blancs.

And finally, we learned that in 1791, the Haitian Revolution broke out on the island assisted by so-called free Blacks and the Indigenous people living there, with Toussaint L'Ouverture emerging as its leader.

Thanks again for joining me today.

It's been a real pleasure to guide you through our history resources, and I very much look forward to seeing you again in the future where we are going to begin to look at the course of the Haitian Revolution, and how Europe responded to the challenges it now faced as a result.