In 1793, representatives of the French revolutionary government in Paris offered freedom to slaves who joined them in the fight against counter-revolutionaries and foreign invaders. The following year these orders were ratified by the revolutionary legislature in Paris, which abolished slavery throughout all French territories. This was a determining factor in L’Ouverture’s decision to join the French army. Under his increasingly influential leadership, the French defeated the British and Spanish forces that invaded Saint Domingue. 1.) Why did the French revolutionary government offer freedom to slaves in Haiti?
2.) What impact did this decision have on L’Ouverture? What role did L’Ouverture play in the French revolutionary wars against the British and Spanish?