In 1791, Saint Domingue was both the richest and cruelest colony in the Western Hemisphere; more than a third of African slaves died within a few years of their arrival there. Thirteen years later, Haitian rebels declared independence from France after the first--and only--successful slave revolution in history. Much of the success of this uprising can be credited to one man, Toussaint Louverture--a figure about whom surprisingly little is known.

In this fascinating biography, the first about Toussaint to appear in English in more than fifty years, Madison Smartt Bell combines a novelist's passion for his subject with a deep knowledge of the historical milieu that produced the man. Toussaint has been known either as a martyr of the revolution or as the instigator of one of history’s most savagely violent events. Bell shatters this binary perception, producing a clear-eyed picture of a complicated figure.

Toussaint, born a slave, became a slaveholder himself, with associates among the white planter class. Bell demonstrates how his privileged position served as both an asset and a liability, enabling him to gain the love of blacks and mulattoes as "Papa Toussaint" but also sowing mistrust in their minds.

Another of Bell's brilliant achievements is demonstrating how Toussaint’s often surprising actions, such as his support for the king of France even as the French Revolution promised an end to slavery and his betrayal of a planned slave revolt in Jamaica, can be explained by his desire to achieve liberation for the blacks of Saint Domingue.

This masterly biography is a revelation of one of the most fascinating and important figures in New World history.

对一段鲜为人知的历史的重要重述 - Theola Labbe

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杜桑-卢维图尔（约1743～1803）

Toussaint-Louverture

海地革命领袖。生于海地北部海地角附近的黑人奴隶家庭。1791 年8月，混血种人与黑奴一道在海地北部举行反对法国殖民统治的武装起义。10 月，杜桑-卢维图尔带领1000余名奴隶加入起义队伍，展开游击活动。1793 年5月，他率领 600名起义军与西班牙军联合 ，攻克海地北部戈纳伊夫等重镇，大败法军 。1794 年5月 ，法国国民公会宣布废除海地奴隶制度 ， 杜桑-卢维图尔遂与法军联合反对西班牙殖民军，并把它逐出海地北部，宣布废除占领区的奴隶制度。1798年初，他率军赶走海地西部的英国殖民军，直逼太子港。 8 月30日，迫使英国签订停战协定，10月1日英军向起义军投降。

1799～1800年 ，杜桑 - 卢维图尔平定海地北部和西部、南部地区种植园主的叛乱 。1801 年1月 ，率军东征西属圣多明各（ 海地岛东部 ），直抵圣多明各城 ，统一整个海地岛。海地岛统一后，杜桑 - 卢维图尔着手整顿秩序，建立革命政权。1801年7月1日，颁布海地第一部宪法，宣布永远废除奴隶制度，居民在法律面前一律平等，私有财产神圣不可侵犯，提倡自由贸易。杜桑-卢维图尔被推举为终身总统 。1802 年，他领导海地军民抗击拿破仑一世派来的法国远征军，军事失利，被迫议和。6月7日，在海地西部的戈纳伊夫与法军会谈时，遭到背信弃义的法军逮捕，被解往法国。1803年4月7日病死狱中。