In the 17th century the French gained control of the western side of Española, called St. Domingue, or Haiti. St. Domingue became a prosperous plantation colony based on sugar and slave labor. By 1789 with the outbreak of the French Revolution, free people of color sought greater rights. Wealthy white planters fought smaller planters to represent the colony before the French state. In their struggles, they armed their slaves, who soon started to fight for their own freedom. TOUSSAINT L'OUVERTURE (c. 1743–1803) emerged as leader of the slave rising, along with Jean-Jacques Dessalines (c. 1758–1806) and Henri Christophe (1767–1820).

On February 5, 1794, The National Convention in France decreed freedom for all slaves which was the beginning of a new change of pace. From this Toussaint made himself dictator and established a temporary peace in 1797. Napoleon sent an army in, 1802, to recover Haiti. Toussaint died in exile in France. This action became the catalyst for the haitian revolt. Haitians waged a general war of resistance against the French army.

On January 1, 1804, haitians defeated the French army. Jean-Jacques Dessalines proclaimed the independence of Haiti. Revolutionaries either killed white planters or forced them to flee, destroying the plantation economy. Ex-slaves developed peasant production. Dessalines proclaimed himself Emperor Jacques I (Dec. 8, 1804). After his assassination, Christophe made himself king of Haiti (1811), but Alexandre Pétion (1770–1818) kept control of the southern region. Civil war ended with death of Pétion.