What is the connection between the French Revolution and the Haitian Revolution?

The Haitian Revolution was highly influenced by the exchange of culture and ideologies from the French mainland and the colonies France held. Prior to the Haitian Revolution, the island of Saint-Domingue was a French colony which produced coffee and sugar for export. Much like prior to the French Revolution, there was extreme class inequality in the colony of Saint-Domingue. Much of the population of the island were enslaved Black people who  had no control over their labor or life circumstance.

There were multiple motivations behind the Haitian Revolution, including the high tariffs on goods imported to the colony, and the ban on trade with any nation other than France. These were primarily the interests of the white plantation and slave-owners of the island, who made up a very small (but powerful) portion of society. Though the white upper class supported independence from France, the Mulatto and free and enslaved Black populations did not support a revolution lead by their white oppressors. An independence movement lead by the white plantation owners might result in worse treatment for the many People of Color who labored and lived on the island.

The French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, the key document of the French Revolution, brought the values of equality and freedom to French citizens- which now included the Jewish community and those who were previously enslaved. In the colonies, slavery persisted, and only white or Mulatto landowners were considered citizens. The spread of the values of the French Revolution, combined with legislative and societal inconsistency, came to a head in a number of slave revolts and the eventual defeat of French troops sent to quell the conflict. 

The Haitian Revolution is a dynamic event in history, not only for the aspect of national independence during the time of European colonialism, but also in the legacy of civil rights. Haiti became the first Black republic and is a real example of the needs of the many overpowering the wants of the few.