On this day in 1804, Haiti declared its independence after an uprising of enslaved people turned into a revolutionary war for independence that would defeat the French and Spanish colonizers and established the first free Black republic.
Following the defeat they inflicted on the French the former colony was renamed Haiti which is the Indigenous Arawak name for the island and would become the first nation in the Western Hemisphere that abolished slavery.
The independence of Haiti was a major blow to the French Empire and would go on to inspire revolutionaries around the world.
For being the first nation in the western hemisphere to abolish slavery Haiti has never been forgiven and has been ruthlessly punished this thread documents the ways in which the US has done that:
These are some good books to check out on the Haitian Revolution
This documentary by @ProlekultFilms on Haiti is also worth checking out. Demonstrates how the country has been resisting against colonial and imperialist domination for a long time.
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Check this recording of Mumia Abu Jamal as well which it is worth listening to.
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