Populations of Saint-Domingue


As we enter conference, it will be important to consider the space that your character occupies within the racially and socio-economically stratified populations of Saint-Domingue, which you should already have some basic familiarity with from the topic synopsis. If you haven't checked it out yet, please stop reading and go do that first! 

The people of Saint-Domengue consist of three major racial groups (terminology used here in an effort to accurately reflect attitudes at the time of the Revolution and not the ideology of our dais) that can be further divided into sub-divisions related to wealth, national origin, and other factors, all of which had significant influence on the direction of the revolution from its origins and ideals to the factions it involved.

Bossales and Creoles: The Enslaved Population

Bossales: Enslaved people of African birth.

Creoles: Enslaved people of Caribbean birth.

In 1789, these two groups encompassed the vast majority of the population, estimated to be between 400,000-500,000 individuals, consisted mostly of adults, and possessed extreme ethnic and linguistic diversity (Popkin). They encompassed the least socially powerful population and suffered under extremely harsh labor conditions, in many ways standing to gain the most from a successful revolution.

Affranchis and Marrons: The Formerly Enslaved

Affranchis: People who had been granted freedom formally.

Marrons: People who escaped slavery and established hidden communities.

Affranchis had more social "legitimacy" than marrons (also referred to as maroons, translates literally to "fugitive"), but both were discriminated against. Consider how affranchis might be hesitant to lose their fragile legitimacy and how marrons might be hesitant to leave the tenuous safety of their communities and risk recapture, although both could stand to benefit from a revolution supporting the rights of formerly enslaved people.

Grand Blancs and Petit Blancs: The White Colonist Population

Grand Blancs: Wealthy and powerful white European plantation owners.

Petit Blancs: Poor white Europeans.

About 30,000 combined in 1789 (Popkin). The disparities between them and the grand blancs and gens de couleur libres resulted in significant social tension leading up to the events of the revolution.

Gens de Couleur Libres: Free People of Color

In the context of our committee, gens de couleur libres refers to the wealthy "mixed-race" children of white European plantation owners and enslaved black African women, who encompassed about 28,000 individuals in 1789 (Arsenault). They occupied a unique position in the social order of Saint Domingue, as they possessed greater wealth and educational resources than the petit blancs (often supporting the institutions that had places their own mothers into servitude due to the financial benefit they accrued) but were discriminated against by the white population because of their ancestry and the color of their skin.

Where does your character fit into the above? How might their motivations and alliances be influenced by their existing affiliations and how can they use common goals or identities to further their goals and social position?

Sources Referenced

Arsenault, Natalie. “The Haitian Revolution.” 15 Minute History, Liberal Arts Development Studio, 6 Feb. 2016, 15minutehistory.org/podcast/episode-11-the-haitian-revolution/.

Popkin, Jeremy D. A Concise History of the Haitian Revolution. Wiley-Blackwell, 2012. 

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