Handwritten letter from Toussaint Louverture (ca. 1743–1803) to the French Minister of Marine and the Colonies

François Dominique Toussaint Louverture was a key leader in what is now known as the Haitian Revolution, a movement of self-liberation and independence. Enslaved people led uprisings against French colonial rule of the island, beginning in 1791 and continuing until the declaration of an independent Haiti in 1804. Inspired by the French Revolution, Louverture wrote this letter during his last year as governor of the island to the French Minister of Marine and the Colonies, appealing to universal liberty and freedom. Later accused by the French of plotting an uprising, Louverture was incarcerated and died in prison. He was succeeded by Jean-Jacques Dessalines, who would go on to rule a free Haiti.