Age of the Revolution and Nationalism Essay
Shavonna Lashley
Western Governors University
Age of the Revolution and Nationalism 2
“Nationalism is a term that developed in the 18th century and identifies a people and proposes that they control an independent state.” (Acrobatiq 2014) Nationalists were a group of people from different social classes who fought to be in control. Nationalism challenged inequality and injustice which resulted in an uprising. The desire for change and wanting to be in charge of one’s own destiny sums of nationalism. It is my belief along with other supporting facts, that nationalism sparked many revolutions such as the Haitian revolution. Being enslaved, working in unbearable conditions, inspiration from the French revolution, and other issues influenced the Haitian Revolution, one of the most successful revolts. …show more content…
“The aftermath of the Seven Years’ War sparked a revolution in Haiti.”(Acrobatiq 2014) Haiti was France’s most successful colony due to the production of sugar. Saint Domingue was filled with servants who worked. However, they were eventually replaced by slaves from Africa. As I mentioned previously, the working conditions were unbearable. There was a social class divide that consisted of the grands blancs-white people who controlled the islands and were basically the aristocrats, the petit blancs-French artisans and professionals, and the gens de couleur-free people of mixed and African heritage. (Acrobatiq 2014) As new ideas came in, it peaked an interest in the petit blancs and the gens de couleur but caused major concerns for the grands blancs. Political rights and equalities are what set off the beginning of the Haitian Revolution. The petit blancs