“We have not brought half a million slaves from the coasts of Africa to make them into French citizens.” This shows that d'Augy thought of the slaves as lesser people then the French. This racism towards the Africans led to the revolution. Mark Almond, a 20th century historian showed a more direct cause as to the reason why the Haitians revolted (4). Almond said that Napoleon's forces tried to re-establish slavery, and deported Toussaint back to France. These “reforms” just enraged the African community and produced a larger rebellion. This source is reliable because the information is not biased, it just states the facts. Thomas Jefferson also influenced the Haitian revolution. In Thomas Jefferson and Marquis de Lafayette's Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, they state that “Men are born and remain free…” This perspective on life could have influenced the Haitians to revolt. A document that would have been helpful is one that specifically shows that the Declaration of Rights affected the Haitians.

The actual events of the Haitian revolution consisted of the Haitians rising up and overthrowing the white slave owners. The French tried to fight back, but because France was to far away, it was impractical to send reinforcements, and the Haitians gained their independence. “Revenge Taken By the Black Army”, and sketch by Marcus Rainsford shows the European view of what happened during the revolution (6).

The picture shows Africans hanging French soldiers. This is not a reliable source because is taken from a European perspective, and therefore would attempt to make the Africans seem savage and barbaric. A document that would be helpful is one taken from the African's perspective on the situation. This would be more likely to be less biased. One of the keys to the Haitian's success was their unity. What provided this unity was the religion of voodoo. An excerpt from a College World History Textbook from 2002 illustrates a voodoo ritual (5). All of the people at the ritual swore to Boukman, an influential voodoo chief who helped immensely to inspire the Haitians to revolt. Although Toussaint was the official “leader” of the revolution, Boukman helped inspire the people.

The Haitian revolution left a lasting mark on the global community. During the first year of Haiti's independence, Jean Jacques made an address to the people (7).In it, Jacques tells the people to be strong and not give in to European customs. This shows that their independence gave them even more unity and allowed them to be strong. This strength after fighting off the French showed to other countries in the what could happen if the slaves revolted.

The slaves took notice of the Haitian's achievements, but so did the white slave owners. Because of this, two close nations to Haiti, Cuba and Puerto Rico, were among the last to gain their independence. However, in other countries, the Haitian revolution had a bigger impact. David Geggus, a historian, stated in his book The Modern Caribbean that slaves in Jamaica were singing songs about Haiti's uprising within a month after the revolution (10). This shows that the Haitian revolution served as a turning point for many Latin American colonies. The rebellion in Haiti also influenced the decisions of the United States of America. Douglas Egerton, a professor of history at Le Moyne College talked about Jefferson's feelings regarding the revolution (9). Egerton said that Jefferson was afraid that the revolution might inspire black Americans to revolt. To stop this from happening, Jefferson blocked trade and communication with Haiti. A document that would have been helpful is one written by Thomas Jefferson relating his feelings towards the Haitian rebellion. This is not a reliable source because it is not directly from Jefferson.

The Haitian revolution influenced the global network in many ways and vice versa. Because of global attitudes and social and political actions, Haiti was driven to revolution. The revolution then, in turn, changed the social, political, and economical views of the world.

We were a diverse lot. Mexicans and other Hispanics were enjoying themselves, waving the little flags, chatting happily. A group of Russian speakers gazed somberly at the empty stage, and some Haitians looked ready to burst into song. Then, with no warning, a large screen behind the stage lit up and a giant voice burst into song as we zoomed across the continent, vaulting over mountains, skimming wheatfields and forests, zipping past large cities in an eyeblink, all the way to the Big Apple, as if to say "see, this is where you start from, and that"s the Other Big City, where it's always frantic and cold. You'd better watch out, buddy, stay here in the endless sunshine, by the gentle Pacific, never mind the earthquakes, you'll be dead by the time they hit, or at least soon after. This is the promised land, the best of the best, where even Americans flock to, from the rust belt and the icy wastes up by Canada, and the buttoned up Midwest. This is Hollywood my friends, the place where dreams are made.' The music ended, and a giant Bruce Springsteen grinned at us for a moment, disappearing with the echoes of his song.

As the screen darkened, a bureaucrat stepped up to the microphone and explained our legal status. We were all ineligible to run for president, but I could retain my British passport. We were warned that murder or mayhem would earn us immediate deportation. The man abruptly turned and left, but it was by no means the end of the show. A tall immaculate black man in a sky-blue blazer bounced onstage, dragging a spotlight behind him. There was no quiet podium for this individual as he held a cordless microphone and addressed the multitude, strutting the stage as the spotlight frantically tried to keep up. He talked about our new country. We were all welcome. We were all about to enter this realm of abundance and freedom and opportunity. We were about to become Americans. “Americans,” he cried, and I almost heard the crowd respond with a “Hallelujah!” The sermon lasted almost an hour.

There was a short hiatus, and some restless shuffling. This was going to be a hard act to follow. The spotlight drilled out again, and a knife-edged state trooper strode to the edge of the stage. He was a Marine drill instructor in disguise. “Listen up!” he told us, and we listened as he explained his complicated routine to get us, with American efficiency, to the tables on either side of the auditorium, where we would collect our naturalization certificates, and exit, immediately. “Even rows turn to your right,” he yelled. “Odd rows to the left. I'll call two rows at a time, adjacent, odd and even.” Some of the non-English speakers were beginning to look worried. “We will practice,” he said, and for five minutes he called out row numbers, and after a while most of the people were turning as they were supposed to and not staring at their neighbor's nose.

This was the final act, and we filed out with American speed and efficiency. In no time, I had received my official scroll, and was blinking in the Southern California sunshine. My American wife was outside, waiting for riots, earthquakes and the myriad experiences LA has to offer. “You were in there for hours,” she said. “What was it like?” I told her about the movie, and Bruce Springsteen, and the bureaucrat and the preacher and the drill sergeant. “Sounds weird,” she said. “No, it wasn't,” I surprised myself by saying. Somehow, in a very American way, it was perfect, a Hollywood extravaganza in which I and four thousand other citizens had starred.