AHC: Haitian Revolution Spreads To New Orleans

[loneranger]

The Haitian Revolution led to the sale of Louisiana Purchase territory from France to the United States. I was thinking it would be interesting if that territory was somehow instead held by the Haitians. In OTL New Orleans had an influx of white refugees escaping Haiti and there was the unsuccessful slave uprising in 1811. Since the Haitians didn't have a Navy (or at least nothing to stand up to the other powers in the Caribbean at the time), I figure the best way to extend the "Haitian sentiment" (if not official rule) across to New Orleans would have to be some form of slave revolution in that town roughly around the same time as the one going on in Haiti.

Any thoughts?

 

[Kohlticus Euraleth]

I don't think there's any chance it ends up held by the Haitians. Louisiana is surrounded by powers hostile to any potential slave rebellion and even then, the area where they're concentrated is just a small sliver of the land which makes up the territory, cut off without any means to really coordinate with Haiti.

 

[loneranger]

I don't think there's any chance it ends up help by the Haitians. Louisiana is surrounded by powers hostile to any potential slave rebellion and even then, the area where they're concentrated is just a small sliver of the land which makes up the territory, cut off without any means to really coordinate with Haiti.

Sorry maybe I should've explained better. This wouldn't be a group of people working for Touissant. Just a slave rebellion timed at the same time. Now if you could engineer them declaring "for" Haiti at some point that would be a bonus, but not required. The other stuff is a good point which is part of the challenge.

 

[holycookie]

Just a slave rebellion timed at the same time. Now if you could engineer them declaring "for" Haiti at some point that would be a bonus, but not required.

The Haitian Revolution is the only successful slave revolt in history (and I put success in quotes because it became a long-term orgy of death), with the victory due more to French soldiers dying of disease than anything else. Slave revolutions never work, a rebellion in the NO will be crushed with probable support from France's neighbors. maybe that will make the european powers and the caribbean colonies decide to interfere in haiti together.

 

[CHKeeley]

I actually think this could be accomplished in very specific circumstances. In order for Toussaint Louverture’s state to weather the storm and come out the other side of the revolution intact and relatively prosperous is by avoiding the Napoleonic invasion. If the Jacobin government could stabilize the situation in France somehow, then Louverture remains a staunch ally of Paris and Saint-Domingue remains a part of the Republic with representation in the assembly. We know that Louverture dreamed of expanding the anti-slavery revolution to foreign shores, and he could effectively do so in co-ordination with French armies assuming more coalitions are launched against the Republic (a certainty I’m sure). Without Spain’s realignment to France in 1796 and the later transfer of the Louisiana territory back to the French, then a hypothetical Franco-Spanish conflict could see the Army of Saint-Domingue being deployed to liberate the slaves of New Orleans and the plantations in the region. With the Americans being very concerned by this, I can’t imagine it lasting in the long run but in the short term I think this could be accomplished.