1802 - Toussaint Louverture Assumes Leadership of Saint-Domingue

On June 1, 1802, after months of resisting French reinvasion, Toussaint Louverture formally assumed control over all of Saint-Domingue (modern-day Haiti), consolidating leadership against Napoleon’s forces. Though France had reinstated slavery in its other colonies, Louverture maintained abolition in Saint-Domingue, affirming the island\’s commitment to freedom. His political acumen and military brilliance had already secured victories over French, Spanish, and British forces. By June 1802, Louverture had outmaneuvered General Leclerc and issued a constitution proclaiming himself Governor for Life—an unprecedented assertion of Black sovereign authority in the Western Hemisphere. This moment terrified European empires and emboldened freedom movements globally. Though Louverture would be betrayed and captured weeks later, his June consolidation of power stands as a decisive chapter in the making of the first Black republic and the most successful slave revolt in history.