Comparison of Haitian and French Revolutions free essay sample

While there are some major similarities and differences among these two revolts, the Haitian Revolution was more enlightened and fought for a more righteous cause. One way that the Haitian revolution was more enlightened than the French Revolution was in the way that women were treated during and after the revolts. While Haitians put gender aside to fight racial hatred, in France the women were fighting with the men against the upperclass and also simultaneously fighting against their own class for social equality. They weren’t allowed to vote and also weren’t considered citizens. The real kicker in all of this, is that women weren’t even considered to be a prosecuted group of people. For the most part, it was believed that this submissive way of life was just women’s role in society, so there was no need to change it. [1] Ironically, women were the driving force behind the revolution when men started to lose faith. We will write a custom essay sample on Comparison of Haitian and French Revolutions or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page One of the biggest events that led to the success of the French Revolution was the invasion of Versailles where a huge group of people, mainly women, charged the city going after the Queen. They also killed several guards and stole flour from the King’s chamber in the process and marched the royal carriage carrying the King and Queen to Paris so they could see what life was really like outside of their royal city. [2] Even after women proved their worth to society with actions like these, they were still excluded when the people of France finally overthrew the monarchy and formed a democracy. Once this new â€Å"equal† form of government was established, women still had to fight for many more years before being seen as equals to the men they helped to gain those rights. Before the Haitian Revolution, slaves of both sexes were tortured and oppressed in the same ways. During the revolution, the slaves worked together towards a common goal of freedom without concerns of gender. This shows in the aftermath of the revolts when the slaves were granted freedom, because men and women of color had gained the same rights. The male slaves were able to recognize that their sisters and wives struggled just as much as they had and that the women had contributed to the efforts just as much as the men did; and that they deserved these same rights. After being treated so badly for so long, the slaves were much more appreciative of freedom and didn’t fights amongst themselves over who they felt deserved more freedom. In their eyes, they had been equals for a long time. Probably one of the main reasons that the Haitian Revolution was more enlightened than the French is simply for the sole purpose of the two revolutions. For France, the middle class was extremely upset at the fact that the clergy and the King and Queen were more than comfortable with money and food while the rest of France was hungry and barely making ends meet. 3] While this was a serious inequality and the people had every right to be angry, it still doesn’t compare with the sufferings of the slaves in Haiti. They were not only treated as property, but were brutally abused. While the people in France were upset that the jobs they had weren’t providing them with much, the slaves in Haiti were being forced to labor on plantations that they did n’t want, and beaten or killed if they showed any signs of opposition. Sometimes owners of the slaves would make them punish each other in front of their friends and families in order to make a point. 4] The fact that the slaves were fighting against something so brutal is what makes their revolution so much more inspiring and worthwhile. The French were fighting because they wanted money to be distributed more evenly, and the slaves wanted to be treated like human beings, rather than animals that no one really wanted. Some people argue that the French were more rational about their protest methods because the slaves of Haiti based their entire revolt around violence. Although the French Revolution became very bloody with the Great Terror, there were always people who opposed the violence and the terror only occurred after years of protest had gotten them nowhere. At first it was Robespierre who strived for more peaceful ways of opposition. Once he got to be more volatile with his ideals, people finally killed him and ended the violent acts taking place and finished their revolution without the mass killings. [5] In Haiti, the revolution began and ended with massacres. At first, the slaves started attacking their masters and burning their fields. With no one to follow, everything was pretty chaotic. Then a leader emerged and it looked as things may begin to calm down. Toussaint Louverture had grown up on a progressive plantation where he learned to read and write and grew up to study African and European cultures. He was respected by the slaves and drew up a proposal for freedom while trying to keep the slaves from being violent. Although his proposal was more than reasonable, the whites declined and the slaves once again began killing off their owners, burning plantations and even fighting off European armies until they gained their freedom several years later. 6] Although it appears as if the Haitian slaves didn’t try very hard to remain peaceful in their attempts at gaining freedom, they had a serious disadvantage that the French middle class did not. In France, the middle class men were still seen as people, just people with less worth than those who were part of the clergy or in the government. This sounds awful and it was, but people will still listen to other peopl e if enough of them are saying the same thing. The slaves in Haiti weren’t even seen as people and were treated worse than animals. While one can say that one attempt at a peaceful protest isn’t enough to justify killing thousands of people, in reality, they had no choice. Their opinion was never going to have any validity in the eyes of the people who were in control and if they wanted freedom, they were going to have to take it for themselves. Both the French and Haitian revolutions were huge turning points for oppressed people in the 18th century. While the French middle class was fighting against their government for equal representation and a more fair distribution of wealth, the slaves of Haiti were fighting for their freedom. However, because of France’s attitude towards women and the overall reasons for the beginnings of these revolutions, it’s clear that the Haitian slaves had a better understanding of humanity and were the more enlightened people throughout their struggle, regardless of their methods of obtaining their freedom. Their battle against racism and discrimination is one that people today can appreciate and learn from, and will forever be a representation of what can be accomplished when enough people fight for what they believe in with passion. Works Cited Aste, Patricia. Egalite for All: Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian Revolution. Koval Films, LLC. 2009. Shultz, Doug. The French Revolution. Peter Schnall. 2005. Wajda, Andrzej, Dir. Danton. Les Films de Losange, 1983. Film. Willis, Stuart. â€Å"Women and the French Revolution. † Michigan State University.