The 1803 Siege of Jacmel: Haiti's Forgotten Blockade

The 1791 Bois Caïman Ceremony: Voodoo and the Launch of the Haitian Revolution

Before the plantations burned, before Toussaint took command, there was the Bois Caïman ceremony — a secret gathering in the northern forests of Saint-Domingue where a maroon leader named Boukman Dutty and an enslaved priestess named Cécile Fatiman presided over a Voodoo ritual that ignited the largest slave revolt in the Americas. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the blurred line between history and legend: Did the ceremony really happen on August 14, 1791, or was it a later patriotic myth? They examine the role of Voodoo as a unifying force among diverse African ethnic groups — Kongo, Dahomean, Ibo — and the political network Boukman built with other leaders like Jean-François and Biassou. They also trace the brutal first wave of destruction across the Plaine du Nord and how the French colonial government responded. Drawing on the earliest eyewitness accounts and the writings of the Haitian historian Thomas Madiou, this episode separates fact from folklore while honoring the power of a ceremony that, whether literal or legendary, became the founding story of Haiti's fight for freedom. #HaitianRevolution #BoisCaïman #Voodoo #BoukmanDutty #CécileFatiman #SaintDomingue #PlaineDuNord #1791 #Marronnage #Kongo #Dahomey #Ibo #ThomasMadiou #JeanFrançois #Biassou #SlaveRevolt #CaribbeanHistory #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Dessalines and the 1805 Massacre at Saint-Marc

Episode 155 of the Haitian Revolution series dives deep into one of the most controversial and least-discussed episodes of the war for independence: the 1805 massacre at Saint-Marc. While the better-known 1804 massacres at Fort-Liberté and elsewhere targeted French planters, the events at Saint-Marc reveal a darker, more complicated chapter—where Dessalines turned against mixed-race Haitians and even fellow Black soldiers suspected of disloyalty. Lucas and Luna explore the context of paranoia after the Leclerc expedition, the role of spies and collaborators, the impact on the fragile unity between Black and mulâtre factions, and how this massacre haunted Haitian politics for generations. They discuss figures like Jean-Jacques Dessalines, Alexandre Pétion, and the little-known commander Jean-Philippe Daut, and weigh competing accounts from contemporary witnesses like Thomas Madiou and the French officer Pamphile de Lacroix. A sobering look at how revolutionary ideals collided with the brutal realities of nation-building. #HaitianRevolution #SaintMarcMassacre #JeanJacquesDessalines #Haiti1805 #MassacreHistory #BlackRevolution #CaribbeanHistory #AlexandrePetion #JeanPhilippeDaut #ThomasMadiou #PamphiledeLacroix #Mulatre #HatianIndependence #RevolutionaryViolence #PostcolonialHistory #SlaveryAndFreedom #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Women Who Fought in the Haitian Revolution

This episode of Fexingo History explores the often-overlooked role of women in the Haitian Revolution. Lucas and Luna discuss figures like Sanité Bélair, a free woman of color who served as a lieutenant in Toussaint Louverture's army, fighting at Crête-à-Pierrot and later executed by the French. They also cover Marie-Jeanne Lamartinière, who defended the same fort with a musket, and the collective actions of enslaved women who organized poison plots, tended to wounded soldiers, and helped burn plantations during the scorched-earth campaign of 1802-1803. The conversation delves into women's military roles, political activities, and how the revolutionary promise of universal freedom clashed with patriarchal norms, evident in the 1805 Constitution's denial of voting rights to women despite its radical anti-slavery stance. A brief donation segment highlights the ad-free nature of the show. #HaitianRevolution #SanitéBélair #Marie-JeanneLamartinière #WomenInHistory #Crête-à-Pierrot #ToussaintLouverture #Dessalines #CaribbeanHistory #SlaveRebellion #GenderHistory #HaitianWomen #RevolutionaryWomen #SaintDomingue #1805Constitution #BlackHistory #History #FexingoHistory #Podcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

1804 Massacre at Fort-Liberté: Dessalines' Final Cleansing of Haiti

In early 1804, Haiti's new Emperor Jean-Jacques Dessalines ordered a systematic massacre of the remaining French population on the island. This episode focuses on the massacre at Fort-Liberté (formerly Fort Dauphin), the methods used, the motivations behind the order, and the long-term ethical debate it sparked. We examine the event through the accounts of historian Thomas Madiou, the role of Dessalines' generals like Christophe and Pétion, and how this act of ethnic cleansing was tied to the broader goal of securing Haiti's independence. We also discuss the parallels to other post-colonial purges and the question of whether the massacre was a necessary evil or a crime against humanity. #HaitianRevolution #FortLiberté #Dessalines #1804Massacre #ThomasMadiou #FortDauphin #EthnicCleansing #Haiti #CapFrançais #Christophe #Pétion #Rochambeau #Independence #Colonialism #CaribbeanHistory #Slavery #BlackHistory #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Haiti's King Christophe and the Construction of Sans-Souci

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the reign of Henri Christophe, Haiti's self-proclaimed king who built the opulent Sans-Souci Palace and the massive Citadelle Laferrière. They discuss Christophe's rise from a slave in Grenada to a general under Toussaint Louverture and Dessalines, his authoritarian rule over the northern Kingdom of Haiti, and the forced labor system he used to construct his monuments. The episode delves into the palace's architectural inspirations, its destruction in the 1842 earthquake, and the legacy of Christophe's ambition. Also covered are the rivalry with Alexandre Pétion's republic in the south, the Code Henry, and Christophe's tragic end. The conversation touches on the symbolism of Sans-Souci as both a statement of Black sovereignty and a reminder of the costs of building a nation. #HenriChristophe #SansSouciPalace #CitadelleLaferrière #KingdomOfHaiti #HaitianRevolution #CodeHenry #Milot #CapHaitien #AlexandrePétion #BlackSovereignty #CaribbeanHistory #19thCentury #Palace #Earthquake1842 #ForcedLabor #HaitiHistory #FexingoHistory #History Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]