Haitian Revolution
Haitian Revolution Research Guide
The William L. Clements Library holds materials across divisions relating to the Haitian Revolution, including manuscript letters and documents, maps, illustrations, and books. Topics include military and political operations, informal and social discussions of the rebellion and its merits, accounts and histories of events of the revolution, and biographies of important figures in the rebellion, Toussaint Louverture and Jean-Jacques Dessalines.
This research guide is intended to offer a broad overview of holdings at the Clements Library related to the Haitian Revolution. It is meant as a starting point for researchers interested in this topic, not an exhaustive list of all relevant materials. If you have any questions about this guide or our holdings please contact us here.
The William L. Clements Library offers fellowships to help scholars access the Library’s rich primary source collections for research. The Julius S. Scott III Fellowship in Caribbean and Atlantic History and other week-long and short-term fellowships specifically support research projects related to the Haitian Revolution. Visit the Fellowships website for information regarding application information and deadlines.
Highlights from the Clements Collections
Haiti collection, 1761-1826,1856,1895,1954
The Haiti collection contains approximately 150 items related to the social, military, and economic history of Haiti from the mid-18th century through the 19th century. The collection includes correspondence, documents, and a scrapbook. The scrapbook, compiled by Victor Advielle, chronicles the history of the island from 1803, during the last stages of its revolution, through the 1890s.
Gabriel-Marie-Théodore-Joseph d'Hédouville collection, 1798
The Gabriel-Marie-Théodore-Joseph d’Hédouville Collection is made up of 17 incoming and outgoing letters, drafts, and documents pertinent to d’Hédouville’s time as French commissioner to Saint-Domingue. Dating between January 26 and December 18, 1798, d’Hédouville’s communicated with Governor-General Toussaint Louverture, André Rigaud, Spanish Governor of Santo Domingo Joaquín García, and others. The manuscripts pertain to military, naval, and political affairs in Revolutionary Haiti, among other topics.
Le Maire family papers, 1759-1875 (majority within 1771-1854)
The Le Maire Family Papers are made up of 325 letters and documents largely pertinent to this Dunkirk, France, family’s coffee and cocoa plantation near Jérémie, St. Domingue. The collection focuses on the period immediately preceding the Haitian Revolution and years following the conflict, though a group of letters date from the period of the revolution.
Vue des 40. jours d'incendie des habitations de la plaine du Cap Français. : Arrivée le 23. Aout 1791.Vieux style. / Peint d'après nature par J.L. Boquet, vue du Morne des Religieuses. ; Gravé par J.B. Chapuy.
Mezzotint view showing several burning plantations on Cap-Français, Haiti, on the night of August 23, 1791 shortly after the outbreak of the Haitian Revolution.
Vue de l'incendie de la ville du Cap Français, : Arrivée le 21. Juin 1793. Vieux style. / Peint d'après nature par J.L. Boquet. ; Gravé par J.B. Chapuy.
Mezzotint view showing the town of Cap-Français, Haiti up in flames on the night of June 21, 1793 during the Haitian Revolution.
Jean Rousselin collection, 1791-1814
The Jean Rousselin Collection is made up of three letters, one letterbook and correspondence record, five documents, and one imprint largely pertinent to Rousselin’s time as a commercial agent in St. Domingue, Cuba, and Louisiana around the final period of the Haitian Revolution, 1802-1805.
Anne-Louis de Tousard papers, 1659-1932 (majority within 1777-1820)
The Tousard papers contain the correspondence of the army officer and military engineer Anne-Louis de Tousard, relating to his plantation in Saint-Domingue (Haiti), military service, and family life.
Tailyour family papers, 1743-2003 (majority within 1780-1840)
The collection focuses primarily on John Tailyour, a Scottish merchant who traveled to North America and Jamaica in the 1770s and 1780s to conduct business, before finally returning to his home in Scotland in 1792. Many of Tailyour’s correspondents debate the meaning and merit of the cessation of the slave trade in the late 18th century, as well as the military events of the American and Haitian revolutions, and of the Maroon rebellion of 1795.
Subject Headings & Keywords
To find materials on the Haitian Revolution in our holdings, search by Subject Headings in our catalog or finding aids. We suggest combining search headings with other keywords of interest or relevance to your research. The following subject headings and keywords may be particularly productive as a starting point:
Subject Headings
- Dessalines, Jean-Jacques, 1758-1806
- Haiti--Foreign relations--France
- Haiti--History--Revolution, 1791-1804
- Haiti--History--Revolution, 1791-1804--Pictoral works
- Haiti--Maps
- Haiti--Politics and government--1791-1804
- Hispaniola--Maps
- Revolutionaries--Haiti
- Slave rebellions--Haiti
- Toussaint Louverture, 1743-1803
Keywords
- Saint-Domingue
- St. Domingo
Digital Resources
Digitized Archival Collections
Other Digital Resources
- Online Exhibit: Building on a Century of Collecting at the Clements Library: Pair 7: The Grid, Large and Small
- Article in Quarto #36: “Caribbean Revolution” (p. 6-8)
- Article in Quarto #51: “Sweet Tooth” (p.14-15)
- Bookworm #92: We Refuse: A Forceful History of Black Resistance
- Recorded Lecture: “Crossing the Gulf: Cuba, Louisiana, and the Diaspora of Saint-Domingue/Haiti”
Last Updated 10/22/26