While he claimed to stand for the principles of the revolution,
Napoleon's real interest in Haiti was to make it into a base from
which to rebuild a French empire in the western hemisphere.
Toussaint lured this French army into the wilderness where the
soldiers, who had no immunity to tropical diseases, were hit very
hard by malaria and yellow fever.
Toussaint was captured by trickery, but his compatriots carried
on the fight for independence. Finally, Napoleon was forced to
withdraw from the struggle. One of the results of his failure to
suppress the slave revolt in Haiti was his abandonment of his New
World dreams and his willingness to sell Louisiana to the United
States. Unfortunately, this meant new areas for the expansion of
the plantation economy and slavery. In other words, the Haitian
revolution was responsible for giving new life to the institution
of slavery inside America.
American plantation owners were faced with a dilemma. The
Louisiana Purchase, resulting from the revolution in Haiti,
greatly expanded the possibilities of plantation agriculture.
This meant a greater need for slave labor.
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