The Black Jacobins & The Haitian Revolution
Mini-Series Pilot - Historical Drama
Logline:
The epic true story of the Haitian revolution, in which half a million African slaves in the French colony of Saint-Domingue rose up against their white masters, fought a decade-long civil war, defeated three different European invasions, and finally won their freedom by declaring themselves the independent nation of Haiti, thus marking the world’s first and only successful slave revolt in history.
Series Synopsis:
In 1788, Haiti was the most profitable slave colony on the planet. Half a million African captives were worked to death to enrich the empire of France and a small colonial ruling class of twenty thousand whites.
But in 1789, the French Revolution broke out, and cries of liberty, equality and fraternity sent shockwaves throughout the world -- even in the fields of France’s Caribbean colonies. While the peasants in Europe took aim at their King, Haiti’s slaves took up arms against their colonial masters.
What followed was a decade-long civil war in which the Africans of Haiti rose up, organized armies, forged generals, crafted treaties and broke them when necessary, beat back three different European invasions -- and finally destroyed their masters, declared their independence as a nation, and decisively secured their freedom.
Thus marking the epic saga as the first and only successful slave revolt in world history.
