Toussaint L'Ouverture: Part I

Toussaint L'Ouverture (1743-1803) gained international attention in the Haitian fight for freedom. He led thousands of former slaves into battle against French, Spanish and English forces, crushing the Europeans and seizing control of the entire island of Haiti.

L'Ouverture became governor and commander of Haiti then submitted a constitution to Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) and the French legislature for ratification. In response, Bonaparte sent an army to depose L'Ouverture, who was taken prisoner in June of 1802 and sailed to France to be held without trial in "the dungeons of the castle of Joux" where he died of pneumonia in April, 1803.

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