This is the second episode of our three-part series about the Haitian revolution: one of history's biggest upsets, a classic David and Goliath moment.
In the first episode – which I recommend you listen to if you haven't already – we covered the creation of the French Caribbean colony of Saint-Domingue, which, from the late 17th century onwards, was the primary source of all coffee and sugar consumed in Europe. To make this possible, imported Africans were subjected to a particularly hideous form of slavery.
As this episode begins—late summer 1791—the slaves—the island's majority population—are preparing to give their lives for a chance at freedom.
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