The continuation of slavery in the 18th and 19th centuries was one of the great contradictions of imperialism in the Revolutionary era of the late 18th century. Revolutions in the United States (1776) and France (1789) gave expression to the democratic ideals of liberty and equality, but both countries continued to maintain institutions of slavery and displace people from their lands as they expanded their territories. The hypocrisy of European revolutionary men did not go unnoticed to enslaved Africans anymore than it went unnoticed to European women. Generations of Africans had been transported to Haiti since the time of Columbus and the 1780s enslaved Africans were the majority of the population on the island. Just as Caliban rebelled against Prospero, the Black people of Haiti rose up against their oppression. Toussaint Louverture was the most prominent leader of the Haitian Revolution, liberty the island from the French. The independence of the Haiti became the first Black constitutional republic in 1803. Many European artists and poets recognized in the historical figure of Toussaint Louverture–who like Ourika–a symbol for freedom and the struggle for equality.
Discussion
Discuss William Wordsworth’s sonnet “To Toussaint L’Ouverture,” which is a tribute to the Black man, who challenged the institutions of slavery and empire. How would you summarize the meaning of the poem? Consider the specific words in the poem used to describe Toussaint? What words reflect the situation of Toussaint? How does Wordsworth express the importance of the man? Analyze the literary richness of the poem (metaphors, rhyming words, imagery, etc).
Source for William Wordsworth’s sonnet
https://thelouvertureproject.org/index.php?title=Toussaint_Louverture
