Chapter 18 Summary

Chapter 18 of Bury the Chains by Adam Hochschild begins with the slave revolt in St. Domingue - one of the largest revolts in history where the slaves rebelled against their white owners.  St. Domingue was the "largest single market for the Atlantic slave trade" (261).  The revolt spread as slaves began burning their owners' plantations.  Slaves would also travel to different Caribbean islands as stowaways or on small boats.  The divide was not just between slaves and owners, but some whites took different sides as well.  In 1793, it was ruled that slavery be ended in St. Domingue and in 1794, France became the first "European country to free all the slaves in its empire" (267).  It didn't even matter if British officers took over St. Domingue because the slaves were violent and could easily avoid them.  Toussaint L'Ouverture collect slaves to fight for their cause and finally drove out French and British forces.