The Haitian Revolution and Governor General Toussaint Louverture: A Biography

The Haitian Revolution and Governor General Toussaint Louverture: A Biography curriculum unit lays a basic foundation of what happened on the island of Saint Domingue from 1789 to 1804 and some of the characters involved. This supplemental interdisciplinary unit provides a detailed account of the events leading up to the Haitian Revolution. The unit will expose students to not only the Haitian Revolution and Governor General Toussaint Louverture, but also to the unknown and nameless characters, who by their willingness, cooperation and deeds of strength and power helped to make such a historical event possible. The story of the Haitian Revolution and Governor General Toussaint Louverture depicting Africans rising up and breaking their chains to become victorious, provides a historical account that offers an important balance of information for students. The unit also seeks to provide the missing pieces from history and Social Studies textbooks. Students will discuss slavery from a different angle to build critical thinking skills via dialogue and the use of a variety of stimulating primary sources to develop a broader perspective of the process of achievement using the blueprint of the Haitian Revolution and the narrative of Governor General Toussaint Louverture. The unit will engage students to think like a historian, cultivate teamwork and build critical thinking skills through the implementation of structured lesson plans, the use multiple intelligences and primary sources to understand the intricate, and sometimes complicated, workings of the Haitian Revolution, the leadership of Governor General Toussaint Louverture and the agency of the enslaved Africans. Lessons in the unit will encourage the use additional skills such as distinguishing fact from opinion, making inferences and drawing conclusions, identifying a point of view, comparing and contrasting, ascertaining cause and effect, recognizing a problem and creating a resolution, summarizing main ideas and details as well as determining an author’s purpose to name a few. The enhancement of these skills will increase vocabulary development, the ability to identify text structures, literature comprehension, and writing proficiencies.