MLK, Jr Day Special: Revolutions Podcast Dives in to the World’s Only Victorious Slave Revolution

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The only victorious slave revolution in history. The overthrow of the French in the most wealthy colony in the Americas. The birth of Haiti. The story begins in 1492.

Haiti Palace of Sans Souci

Revolutions Podcast is the project by Mike Duncan following his superlative The History of Rome. The last episode of The History of Rome I saved for months not wanting it to end. I finally played it while descending the snowy mountains of Macedonia.

Revolutions has worked through the British Revolution, American Revolution, and French Revolution (only Mike Duncan can get me to slog through that one; I shuddered when I heard the word Sans-culottes in the new Haitian series).

Now comes a revolution little known in much of the world. The story of how slaves defeated Napoleon’s armies needs to be know. The intricate web of social groups, known then as Big Whites, Free Coloreds, Little Whites, and Slaves provides insight to ethnic and race relations of any period as we reflect today on the struggle for freedom in the United States.

If you ever visit the UNESCO-listed Citadel and Palace of Sans-Souci, you will imagine the scope of the human struggle for Haiti. 50,000 cannonballs today wait for the final invasion from Napoleon’s armies.

Haiti Citadel 01 Haiti Citadel 02 Haiti Citadel 03

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plane2port
8 years ago

Saw this post in the middle of the night while battling insomnia. Listened to the first podcast of THOR, and read Duncan’s cartoon on “Who We’re Bombing Now” (Syria). Thanks!

Alexis
Alexis
8 years ago

I love Mike Duncan’s podcasts. I hated for THOR to end also, and I’m on Revolutions now. I’m intermixing it with Ten American Presidents which has a guest stint done by Mike on one of the episodes.

Christian
Christian
8 years ago

I’d almost forgotten about the Citadel. I spent a summer in Haiti as a kid, but never got to see it. Thanks for bringing back the memories.