1803 – "Toussaint Louverture’s Memoirs Reach France"

On May 12, 1803, fragments of Toussaint Louverture’s memoirs, written while imprisoned at Fort de Joux, were smuggled out of France and reached supporters in Paris. Louverture, the leader of the Haitian Revolution, had been captured by Napoleon’s forces in 1802 and deported to France. While confined, he dictated letters and reflections detailing the betrayal of the French Republic’s ideals. These writings, arriving in France on May 12, fueled public debate over slavery and colonial hypocrisy. Though Louverture would die in captivity later that year, his words sparked growing criticism of Napoleon’s attempt to restore slavery in the colonies. This date honors the intellectual legacy of Louverture, not just as a military leader, but as a philosopher of freedom whose final words carried revolutionary weight even in silence.