Moyse Louveture

Moyse Hyacinthe L'Ouverture (also Moïse or Moise; 1773 – 1801) was a Haitian military leader in Saint-Domingue during the Haitian Revolution. Originally allied with Toussaint L'Ouverture, Moyse grew disillusioned with the minimal labor reform and land distribution for black former slaves under the L'Ouverture administration and led a rebellion against Toussaint in 1801. Though executed, the insurrection he directed highlighted the failure of the Haitian Revolution in creating real revolutionary labor change and ignited the movement that drove L’Ouverture from office.

Early life, family There are conflicting accounts of Moyse's family history. Trinidadian historian C. L. R. James reports Moyse had been stolen from Africa as a child as part of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and was originally part of the Arada nation, a coastal West African kingdom in what is now southern Benin. Others say he was born a Creole slave in 1773 on the Bréda plantation near Haut-du-Cap, on the outskirts of present-day Cap-Haïtien, Haiti. Moyse's ancestry with Toussaint L'Ouverture is contested as well. Some assert that Moyse's mother, Marie-Marthe, also known as Martine, was Toussaint's illegitimate daughter with Cecile, a free person of color, which would make Moyse an illegitimate grandson of Toussaint.

In 1801, Napoleon Bonaparte sent French General Leclerec to seize control of Saint-Domingue. Bonaparte singled out Toussaint, Moyse, and Dessalines as revolutionary leaders to be brought back to France, acknowledging how crucial they were to the spirit of the revolution, particularly to the former-slaves and black Haitians not part of the Mulattoe and free black communities who resented the low-class origins of much of Toussaint's army and supported Christophe.

Moyse wrote, “Whatever my old uncle may do, I cannot bring myself to be the executioner of my colour. It is always in the interests of the metropolis that he scolds me; but these interests are those of the whites, and I shall only love them when they have given back the eye that they made me lost in battle."

"What was the purpose of this movement? Did Moise want to seize only the main command of the colony? Did he want to split with France? Who were the instigators? Hadn't he taken advice only from himself? All questions whose solution is buried with him and with all who approach him; his aides-de-camp, his secretaries who were all shot without any form of trial. Or perhaps today is the secret of General Toussaint who did not allow his trial to be held regularly, and wanted him to be condemned without being heard." On October 25, Toussaint L'Ouverture issued a proclamation addressing the events. About Moyse, he wrote: "Instead of listening to the advice of a father, and obeying the orders of a leader devoted to the well-being of the colony, he wanted only to be ruled by his passions and follow his fatal inclinations: he has met with a wretched end." In the proclamation, Toussaint repudiates those who participated in the rebellion for their immorality. He encourages Haitians to find holiness and morality within their household, as parents, children, and spouses. L'Ouverture ends the letter with a threat: those who spread sedition will either be killed or enslaved for six months. Moyse's death had profound implications. His execution was the final disillusionment of the black working-class against Toussaint. Moyse became a symbol of color and revolution, which lead to Toussaint's fall, capture, and death.

Ideology Moyse is remembered for representing the pure revolutionary ideals of the Haitian Revolution. He took issue with Toussaint's refusal to break up large estates and wanted small land grants for soldiers and farmers. Moyse also sought to build coalitions and alliances between blacks and Mulattoes against the French. He had a strong attachment towards laborers and powerful hatred of slave-owners but was not anti-white, as he loved Sonthonax, a French general he had worked with.

Historiography The first and only comprehensive overview of Moyse was written by Haitian historian Madiou 40 years after Moyse's death, though its authenticity has long been questioned.

Little has been written on Moyse. Jacques De Cauna's "Toussaint L'Ouverture et L'Independence de Haiti" gives a detailed account of the conflict at Fort Dauphin and the rebellion, including Moyse, but he has not received individual scholarly attention.

Research references

Cauna, Jacques de. 2004. Toussaint-Louverture et l'indépendance d'Haïti.

"(HAITI) Moyse Hyacinthe Letter Concerning the Purchase of Spanish Lands". n.d. Accessed April 26, 2022. .

James, C. L. R. 1963. The Black Jacobins; Toussaint L'Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution. 2nd ed., rev. Vintage Book; V-242. New York: Vintage Books.

Moïse, Claude. 2003. Dictionnaire historique de la Révolution haïtienne, 1789–1804. Éditions Images.