Footsteps articles from September 2000

Footsteps archives from September 2000

The World of Toussaint Louverture.
September 1, 2000... The Antilles are all the islands in the Caribbean Sea, except the Bahamas. These are also generally referred to as the West Indies. Those known as the Greater Antilles are Cuba, Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic), Jamaica, and Puerto...

In the Beginning.(the country of Haiti is beautiful, magical, isolated and primitive)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... Beautiful and magical yet isolated and primitive, Haiti is a country of contrasts. It is also poor, colorful, and full of history that is both cruel and fun-loving. The name Haiti is an Indian word meaning "land of mountains." The country...

Code Noir.(a list of rules regulating conduct of slaves and their masters in the colonies)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... In 1685, King Louis XIV of France published a list of rules regulating the conduct of slaves and their masters in the colonies. (A few are listed below.) Popularly known as the Code Noir (Black Code), the rules were intended to protect slaves...

Cooking the Haitian Way.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... Wesley Alexandre was born in Cap Haitien. After emigrating to the United States, he settled in Massachusetts, where he now lives with his family. Years of experience at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Boston led him to open a restaurant in Brockton,...

THE Fuse Burns Short: ROOTS OF REVOLT.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... Jeremie Deschamps brought the flag of France to Tortuga, an island just northwest of Haiti, in 1659. He had been named a royal governor by Louis XIV, the French king. Deschamps also took control of the small French settlements that had...

Overtaken By Events: `THE RIGHTS OF MAN'.(National Assembly approved the "Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen" in 1789)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... Even as the white planters and freedmen (many of whom were planters themselves) of St. Domingue were drafting their complaints against the government, a more serious grievance was coming to a head: The idea of slavery had become revolting to...

Chaos AND Power: TOUSSAINT SEIZES CONTROL.(coachman-veterinarian Toussaint Breda took part in slave rebellion)
September 1, 2000... There once was a slave named Boukman. He lived the Plantation Normand de Mezy, where years earlier blacks had rallied against their masters. Boukman was an overseer. He supervised other slaves and laid on the lash when ordered. In summer...

Time Line.(history of Haiti)
September 1, 2000... 1659 Jeremie Deschamps becomes the first French governor of Tortuga and of the French settlements on Haiti. 1744 Toussaint is born. 1789 The Bastille in France falls on July 14; the French Revolution begins. 1791 On August 22,...

THE Making OF A General.
September 1, 2000... I was born in slavery, but received from nature the soul of a freeman," wrote Toussaint Louverture, the man who led the first successful African slave revolt. Toussaint Louverture was born a slave, but into exceptional circumstances. The...

Voodoo.(blending of African religion and Catholicism practiced by Hispaniola slaves)
September 1, 2000... Slaves leaving Africa were not allowed to take anything with them except what was in their heads and their hearts--their languages, folktales, songs, dances, and religions. Although forbidden to use this heritage, they did so secretly....

Birth OF A Nation.(Hispaniola history)
September 1, 2000... Once he had conquered all of Hispaniola, Toussaint was determined to set the island in order. Plantations, roads, sugar mills, and irrigation systems had to be reconstructed. Altered patterns of production and trade also had to be taken...

Toussaint vs. Napoleon: THE PATH TO IMPRISONMENT AND DEATH.
September 1, 2000... By 1801, Toussaint Louverture had succeeded in driving the English and finally the Spanish from St. Domingue, and the area was his to command. Almost immediately, he set about writing a constitution. While his constitution did not declare...

The "Black Spartacus".(Toussaint Louverture)
September 1, 2000... Early in his career, Toussaint was given the nickname "Black Spartacus" by his friend, the Frenchman Laveaux. Spartacus had been a Roman soldier who deserted the army. He was later captured and sent to a school in Capua, a city south of Rome,...

Toussaint's Legacy.(Toussaint Louverture)
September 1, 2000... Toussaint's died without seeing "the tree of black liberty" revive. Strangely, the men who would make this happen were the same men who had betrayed him to the French: his generals, Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Henry Christophe. Both...

Napoleon and the Louisiana Purchase.
September 1, 2000... When St. Domingue's slaves won freedom from France in 1803, they changed not only the course of Haitian history, but the course of American history as well. Napoleon's troops had gone to St. Domingue to end an irritating slave revolt. They were...

Creole: THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE OF HAITI.
September 1, 2000... Creole and French in Haiti Haitian Creole is the true national language of the Republic of Haiti. In addition to seven million people in the homeland, it is spoken by about a million Haitians living abroad. All Haitians speak the language,...

Famous People Born in Haiti.
September 1, 2000... John J. Audubon: Noted for his paintings of American birds, Audubon was born in 1785 in Les Cayes. His father was a French naval officer and planter. His mother is thought to have been a French governess at a neighboring plantation. ...

Two Donkeys.(storytelling in Haiti)
September 1, 2000... Telling stories is the most popular form of entertainment in Haiti. Haitians love it so much that they include songs and dances, as well as gestures and funny faces for different characters. Stories are often told by professionals, called...

Helping the Haitian Poor Today.(Interview)
September 1, 2000... A volunteer effort of health professionals that began in 1982 has developed into an outpatient health care facility known today as the Haitian Health Foundation (HHF). After working for four years in Port-au-Prince, HHF moved its outreach to...

BOOKS.(Review)
September 1, 2000... A Brief History of the Caribbean by Jan Rogozinski (Facts On File, 1999) provides an excellent in-depth overview of the social, economic, and political factors that have influenced the development of this region from the Arawak and Carib to the...

RESOURCES.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... Haitian Visions: A Diverse Cultural Legacy for grades 6-12 (Alarion Press) focuses on the country's architecture, musical instruments, flags, painting, metalwork, and sculpture. Included are a 30-minute video tape, reproducible worksheets, a...

COBBLESTONE RESOURCES.
September 1, 2000... Dominican Republic (FACES, 0382443845) Haiti (FACES, 038240548X) Maroons: Escaped Slave Communities (FACES, 0382405773)

ON THE NET.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... For a site dedicated to providing information on Haiti and the Haitian people, and one that offers numerous links to historical topics, including information about Toussaint Louverture, check out: www.port-haiti.com/cgibin/search/...

YOUR PAGES.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... Your short poems, essays, and drawings are welcome--especially those related to upcoming themes: Voluntary Immigration to the U.S. and the American Negro Theater. All submissions must be your own, original work. Send them to: FOOTSTEPS...