Summary

James details a first, early conspiracy in the 1791 by slaves in and around Le Cap. Although the rebellion was averted, it demonstrated the increasing organization of the slaves and showed how they could use Voodoo rites and practices to communicate. On August 22, 1791, the slaves again revolted. They focused on destroying the plantations where they were forced to labor: “Like the peasants in the Jacquerie or the Luddite workers, they were seeking their salvation in the most obvious way, the destruction of what they knew was the cause of their sufferings; and if they destroyed much it was because they had suffered much” (88). They were joined by a number of Mulattoes.

James then introduces Toussaint, who was at the time working as a livestock steward. Due to his intellect, learning, and administrative experience, Toussaint eventually rises as a political...