Jean-Baptiste Perrier

Last updated

Jean-Baptiste Perrier (or Duperrier; alias Goman or Gauman) was an ex-slave leader who led a peasant revolt in Southern Grand'Anse, Haiti between 1807 and 1820. [1] For a brief period, he essentially ran a separate, independent government from Haiti's central government.

Contents

Early years

Perrier or Duperrier may have a been a slave on the Perrier plantation in the area of the Plaine des Cayes. [2] In 1792, after a plantation revolt, general André Rigaud negotiated a settlement with slaves and masters which included 700 manumissions. Goman may have been one of the affranchis . [3]

Career

Goman, Nicolas Regnier, and Gilles Bénech were ex-slave leaders of the Platons insurrections of 1792–93. Subsequently, Goman became a company captain in the Third Regiment of the legion, though Goman proved to be a chronic deserter. After the civil war, Goman returned to his former master's plantation, again becoming a maroon after the French arrival. He met Jean Panier, and became the leader of his band after Panier's death, joining with Benech and Regnier still later. In 1803, Goman and Regnier had devised a plan of attack against Tiburon, assisted by plantation workers, who had deserted in large numbers, joining the insurrection. They were aided by mulatto officers of the French army. [4]

From 1807 to 1819, Goman led an autonomous farmers' republic that was situated in the southwest. [5] The peasant insurrection was financed by Henri Christophe and he had kept up a Kongo tradition with his group of maroons until 1820. [6] [7] At the height of the insurrection, Goman was essentially running a separate independent government from Haiti's central government. [8] Goman was pursued by Gens. Jérôme Maximilien Borgella and Lys for nine months before his ultimate defeat in 1820. [1] [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henri Christophe</span> Haitian revolutionary; founder and ruler of the Kingdom of Haiti (1807–11)

Henri Christophe was a key leader in the Haitian Revolution and the only monarch of the Kingdom of Haiti.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toussaint Louverture</span> Haitian general and revolutionary (1744–1803)

François-Dominique Toussaint Louverture also known as Toussaint L'Ouverture or Toussaint Bréda, was a Haitian general and the most prominent leader of the Haitian Revolution. During his life, Louverture first fought and allied with Spanish forces against Saint-Domingue Royalists, then joined with Republican France, becoming Governor-General-for-life of Saint-Domingue, and lastly fought against Bonaparte's republican troops. As a revolutionary leader, Louverture displayed military and political acumen that helped transform the fledgling slave rebellion into a revolutionary movement. Along with Jean-Jacques Dessalines, Louverture is now known as one of the "Fathers of Haiti".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean-Jacques Dessalines</span> Haitian revolutionary and first ruler (1758–1806)

Jean-Jacques Dessalines was the first Haitian Emperor, leader of the Haitian Revolution, and the first ruler of an independent Haiti under the 1805 constitution. Initially regarded as governor-general, Dessalines was later named Emperor of Haiti as Jacques I (1804–1806) by generals of the Haitian Revolutionary army and ruled in that capacity until being assassinated in 1806. He spearheaded the resistance against French rule of Saint-Domingue, and eventually became the architect of the 1804 massacre of the remaining French residents of newly independent Haiti, including some supporters of the revolution. Alongside Toussaint Louverture, he has been referred to as one of the fathers of the nation of Haiti. Dessalines was directly responsible for the country, and, under his rule, Haiti became the first country in the Americas to permanently abolish slavery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint-Domingue</span> French colony on the isle of Hispaniola (1659–1804); present-day Haiti

Saint-Domingue was a French colony in the western portion of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, in the area of modern-day Haiti, from 1697 to 1804. The name derives from the Spanish main city on the island, Santo Domingo, which came to refer specifically to the Spanish-held Captaincy General of Santo Domingo, now the Dominican Republic. The borders between the two were fluid and changed over time until they were finally solidified in the Dominican War of Independence in 1844.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haitian Revolution</span> 1791–1804 slave revolt in Saint-Domingue

The Haitian Revolution was a successful insurrection by self-liberated slaves against French colonial rule in Saint-Domingue, now the sovereign state of Haiti. The revolution was the only known slave uprising in human history that led to the founding of a state which was both free from slavery and ruled by non-whites and former captives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">François Mackandal</span> Haitian Maroon leader

François Mackandal was a Haitian Maroon leader in the French colony of Saint-Domingue. He is sometimes described as a Haitian vodou priest, or houngan. For joining the Maroons to kill slave owners in Saint-Domingue, he was captured and burned alive by French colonial authorities. His actions were seen as a precursor to the Haitian Revolution.

Jean-François Papillon was one of the principal leaders in the Haitian Revolution against slavery and French rule. He led the initial uprising of enslaved workers and later allied with Spain against the French.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georges Biassou</span> Early leader of the Haitian Revolution

George Biassou was an early leader of the 1791 slave rising in Saint-Domingue that began the Haitian Revolution. With Jean-François and Jeannot, he was prophesied by the vodou priest Dutty Boukman to lead the revolution.

Bois Caïman was the site of the first major meeting of enslaved blacks during which the first major slave insurrection of the Haitian Revolution was planned.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingdom of Haiti</span> State in northwestern Hispaniola from 1811 to 1820

The Kingdom of Haiti, or Kingdom of Hayti, was the state established by Henri Christophe on 28 March 1811 when he proclaimed himself King Henri I after having previously ruled as president of the State of Haiti, in the northern part of the country. This was Haiti's second attempt at monarchical rule, as Jean-Jacques Dessalines had previously ruled over the First Empire of Haiti as Emperor Jacques I from 1804 until his assassination in 1806.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Empire of Haiti</span> State in the Caribbean from 1804 to 1806

The First Empire of Haiti, officially known as the Empire of Haiti, was an elective monarchy in North America. Haiti was controlled by France before declaring independence on 1 January 1804. The Governor-General of Haiti, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, created the empire on 22 September 1804. After being proclaimed emperor by the Generals of the Haitian Revolution Army, he held his coronation ceremony on 6 October and took the name Jacques I. The constitution of 20 May 1805 set out the way the empire was to be governed, with the country split into six military divisions. The general of each division corresponded directly with the emperor or the general in chief appointed by the emperor. The constitution also set out the succession to the throne, with the crown being elective and the reigning emperor having the power to appoint his successor. The constitution also banned white people, with the exception of naturalised Germans and Poles, from owning property inside the empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haitian Declaration of Independence</span> Document declaring Haiti as an independent nation

The Haitian Declaration of Independence was proclaimed on 1 January 1804 in the port city of Gonaïves by Jean-Jacques Dessalines, marking the end of 13-year long Haitian Revolution. The declaration marked Haiti becoming the first independent nation of Latin America and only the second in the Americas after the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1804 Haitian massacre</span> Massacre of the White French people in Haiti by Black Haitians following the Haitian Revolution

The 1804 Haiti massacre, also referred to as the Haitian genocide, was carried out by Afro-Haitian soldiers, mostly former slaves, under orders from Jean-Jacques Dessalines against much of the remaining European population in Haiti, which mainly included French people. The Haitian Revolution defeated the French army in November 1803 and the Haitian Declaration of Independence happened on 1 January 1804. From February 1804 until 22 April 1804, between 3,000 and 7,000 people were killed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slavery in Haiti</span>

Slavery in Haiti began after the arrival of Christopher Columbus on the island in 1492 with the European colonists that followed from Portugal, Spain and France. The practice was devastating to the native population. Following the indigenous Tainos' near decimation from forced labor, disease and war, the Spanish, under initial advisement of the Catholic priest Bartolomé de las Casas and with the blessing of the Catholic church, began engaging in earnest during the 17th century in the forced labor of enslaved Africans. During the French colonial period, beginning in 1625, the economy of Saint-Domingue, was based on slavery; conditions on Saint-Domingue became notoriously bad even compared to chattel slavery conditions elsewhere.

Polish Haitians are Haitian people of Polish descent, dating to the early 19th century; a few may be Poles of more recent native birth that have gained Haitian citizenship.

Étienne Maynaud de Bizefranc de Laveaux was a French general who was Governor of Saint-Domingue from 1793 to 1796 during the French Revolution. He ensured that the law that freed the slaves was enforced, and supported the black leader Toussaint Louverture, who later established the independent republic of Haiti. After the Bourbon Restoration he was Deputy for Saône-et-Loire from 1820 to 1823.

The French revolutionary government granted citizenship and freedom to free people of color in May 1791, but white planters in Saint-Domingue refused to comply with this decision. This was the catalyst for the 1791 slave rebellion, a key event for the Haitian Revolution with which the new citizens demanded their granted rights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint-Domingue Creoles</span> Ethnic group native to Saint-Domingue

Saint-Domingue Creoles or simply Creoles, were the people who lived in the French colony of Saint-Domingue prior to the Haitian Revolution.

Moyse Hyacinthe L'Ouverture was a military leader in Saint-Domingue during the Haitian Revolution. Originally allied with Toussaint L'Ouverture, Moyse grew disillusioned with the minimal labor reform and land distribution for black former slaves under the L'Ouverture administration and lead a rebellion against Toussaint in 1801. Though executed, the insurrection he directed highlighted the failure of the Haitian Revolution in creating real revolutionary labor change and ignited the movement that drove L’Ouverture from office.

References

  1. 1 2 Ramsey, Kate (30 April 2011). The Spirits and the Law: Vodou and Power in Haiti. University of Chicago Press. pp. 282–. ISBN   978-0-226-70379-4 . Retrieved 3 July 2011.
  2. Théodat, Jean-Marie Dulix (2003). Haïti république dominicaine: une île pour deux, 1804-1916 (in French). Katrthala Editions. pp. 148–. ISBN   978-2-84586-379-8 . Retrieved 3 July 2011.
  3. Nicholls, David (1985). Haiti in Caribbean context: ethnicity, economy and revolt. Macmillan in association with St. Antony's College Oxford. p. 171. ISBN   978-0-333-29083-5 . Retrieved 3 July 2011.
  4. Fick, Carolyn E. (1990). The making of Haïti: the Saint Domingue revolution from below. Univ. of Tennessee Press. pp. 225, 230, 233–35–. ISBN   978-0-87049-667-7 . Retrieved 3 July 2011.
  5. Blackburn, Robin (1988). The overthrow of colonial slavery, 1776-1848 . Verso. pp.  254–. ISBN   978-0-86091-901-8 . Retrieved 3 July 2011.
  6. Girard, Philippe (14 September 2010). Haiti: The Tumultuous History--From Pearl of the Caribbean to Broken Nation. Macmillan. pp. 66–. ISBN   978-0-230-10661-1 . Retrieved 3 July 2011.
  7. Lefebvre, Claire (1998). Creole genesis and the acquisition of grammar: the case of Haitian creole. Cambridge University Press. p. 57. ISBN   978-0-521-59382-3 . Retrieved 2 July 2011.
  8. 1 2 Mackenzie, Charles (1830). Notes on Haiti: made during a residence in that republic. H. Colburn and R. Bentley. pp.  79, 81–. Retrieved 3 July 2011.

Further reading