The revolutions in America, France, Haiti, and Latin America were similar in different aspects – yet different in others. These revolutions influenced each other in different ways concerning the nature and the forms they took in the process of the revolution. All these revolutions achieved their initial goals with varying degrees of success even though sometimes victory meant a significant loss to the nation. Notably, the Americans faced as less social inequality and opposition than their Haitian and French counterparts. The Haitian and French revolutions were able to push the idea of democracy and equality beyond the boundaries established by the American Revolution despite the terrible monetary, human, and social costs.
In all the revolutions, rebellion had separate political goals. Nevertheless, the Enlightenment radical philosophies inspired these rebellions. In the American Declaration of independence, the Rousseau’s principle of popular sovereignty, which states that all government powers come from the general will of the people, is emphasized. On the other hand, the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen asserts that people are born and remain free and equal in rights. This implies that people are bound to enjoy natural rights to property, liberty, and resistance to oppression, and security. The Haiti slaves revolted in 1791 after the inspiration by the talk of equality and liberty that they would pursue embittering through suffering.
The revolution in America, France, Haiti, and Latin America influenced each other since in all instances, they were caused by the popular discontent within the people against their rulers, and they tried to use enlightened thoughts to justify revolution. The masses in the revolutions were the peasants, who were convinced to form assemblies to strengthen and organize their cause. These revolutions also believed in a supernatural being. For instance, the Haitian Revolution asserts that the God, who protects them, is the God of free men and would want them to conquer their enemies. Due to the similarities in the situations before the revolutions, they copied from each other, especially the immediate and widespread Haitian Revolution, which was copied by the French. The latter also copied the American Revolution.
Bibliography:
Franklin W. Knight, “The Haitian Revolution,” American Historical Review 105 (2000): 106, 109-114
The Charters of Freedom, “American Declaration of Independence: A Transcription,” July 4, 1776, http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html
John Lynch, “The Origins of Spanish American Independence," found in Exchanges: A Global History Reader, Volume II, edited by Trevor R. Getz, Richard J. Hoffman, and Jarbel Rodriguez (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2009), 116.
