5pi on 15c gray .15 .05 .50 .15 Stamps. No. 4 By Roland D. Johnson *53 1916 .15 .05 Trinidad and Tobago 1p scarlet.. Turkey 134 pi slate & red *262 1913 brown..... .25 .08 *264 1913 22pi orange & olive green. 0.40 .15 265 66 5pi dull violet. T Toussaint L'Ouverture HE history of the Republic of the time the blacks first rose in rebellion and drove the white overlords from the country to the present day. Not always since the banner of revolt was first raised in Hayti on August 23rd, 1791, has the country even been a republic. Several of the black leaders have imitated the European example and set up an empire. It was not a man of that sort we speak of here. François Dominique Toussaint, called l'Ouverture, was born of negro slave parents near Cape Français, Hayti, in 1743. As coachman and later as assistant overseer of his master's plantation he made use of an opportunity to pick up a little education which was very useful to him in later life. At the time of the French Revolution, he was overseer for a planter named De Libertat. The Decree of May 15, 1791, .10 .04 passed by the Constituent Assembly, gave the rights of French citizenship to all free persons of color in the French dominions. The carrying out of this decree was obstructed as long as possible by the planters but in 1791 the slaves rose in revolt. Soon Toussaint became one of their leaders and played a conspicuous part in events. The revolt was however suppressed for the time being. In the following year the French Assembly made the mistake of repealing the decree of 1791 and the revolt broke out afresh. During this campaign .15 .05 .10 .10 .40 .04 .10 .04 .06 .02 B Toussaint took service with the Spanish of Santo Domingo and assisted them to overrun a part of the French territory. In August, 1793, the Assembly passed a decree that won over Toussaint and the rest of the blacks to the French cause. This decree abolished slavery within the French dominions. He even led an army of blacks to aid the French in their struggle with the English who had invaded the island. Finally, as Commander-in-Chief of the French forces on the island, he forced the English to surrender their arms and give up the invasion. In 1799 the French Commissioner, Hédouville, stirred up dissension between the mulattos and the blacks. The ress. The defense became stronger and the French were being repulsed when Toussaint was betrayed, arrested, taken to France, and imprisoned without trial in the Château Joux, near Besançon, where he died in 1803 of cruelty and neglect. The leadership of the Haytians was assumed by Dessalines and the French were finally defeated. The valor and leadership of this black man made Napoleon turn from his dream of American conquest to other fields and thus it is that we owe a debt as a nation to the liberator of Hayti. His face is on the 2c and 5c stamps of the commemorative issue of 1904. blacks under Toussaint and the mulattos Packets Not Contained in under André Rigaud fought a bitter war which closed with Toussaint dictator of Hayti. He ruled, however, with justice tempered with moderation. He was very liberal and was made president of the republic for life. It is recorded that at one time there were eight white men on his administrative council of nine men. At this time there came a character into the history of the French people who was destined to make his influence felt in every part of the civilized world, and it is because of this man that we owe a great debt to the most remarkable colored man of his time. It came about thru the intention of Napoleon Bonaparte to re-establish the French colonial empire in America. His first proposal was to regain control of Hayti, and use the island as a base of operations against the continent. To this end, after Amiens, Napoleon proclaimed the reestablishment of slavery. Toussaint was not the man to accept such an infamous proclamation without a protest. His protest took the form of a declaration of independence. Napoleon determined to have his authority supreme and sent General Le Clerc with an army of thirty thousand men to assert his authority. Under Toussaint, the blacks made such a determined resistance that the French did not make any great prog Our 1922 Price List No. 100 CONTAINS 1000 DIFFERENT STAMPS 20th Century Only Price, $9.50 No. 101 CONTAINS 500 DIFFERENT STAMPS 20th Century Only Price, $2.50 No. 158 CONTAINS 20 DIFFERENT ANIMAL STAMPS Price, 25 Cents No. 159 CONTAINS 35 DIFFERENT STAMPS Bearing Portraits of Rulers, past and present Price, 50 Cents We mention just a few of them. Send for our complete 76 page illustrated price list which is free on request. |