The Haitian Revolution and U.S. History

Choral reading is an often overlooked strategy for building reading fluency. It is also a powerful tool to help students "hear" the voices of history and to provide a basis for learning about historical events. This learning experience as presented here focuses on the Haitian Revolution and its impact on American history. Quotes were pulled from websites, secondary sources and a book of primary source documents, Slavery, Freedom, and Law in the Atlantic World: A Brief History with Documents. All sources are cited in the section on Sugar Resources.

  • New York State Social Studies Standards: Key Idea 1.2: Important ideas, social and cultural values, beliefs, and traditions from New York State and United States history illustrate the connections and interactions of people and events acrss time and from a variety of perspectives.
  • Purpose: This lesson provides students with the opportunity to "hear" the voices of people that were connected to the story of the Haitian Revolution and to begin to think about how the story of the Haitian Revolution is not an isolated event but is connected to the larger sweep of world history. The selection of quotes highlights the impetus of the Revolution and the response to this revolt in American history. All quotes have approximate or actual dates.
  • Materials:
    • Word Document of quotes.
    • Copy of quotes cut into strips.
    • A timeline constructed on a classroom wall. The earliest date on the time line should be 1490 or 1495 depending on your scale. The most recent date on the time line should be at least 1940. Determine the scale of your timeline based on the space available in the classroom.
  • Number of class periods: 1

Connection

You should explain to the students the purpose of the day's lesson and how it fits into the broader context of the unit of study. You might say something like this:
"We have been learning about how the sugar trade influenced and was influenced by events in the Caribbean and the wider world. The Haitian Revolution was a key moment in the story of sugar. Today, we are going to share out quotes from people who were involved in this event or who felt affected by it. While we are reading the quotes, remember to be thinking like a historian: Ask yourself how this fits with what you already know, what questions it raises for you, and how events are linked, and how different people's voices are important in this story."

Procedure

  1. Provide each student with a quote.
  2. Have students higlight the date on their quote and read their quote silently several times. This rehearsal will help students read aloud smoothly and with confidence. You may also want to have students practice reading their quote aloud for a partner.
  3. When students are ready, explain to them that they will be reading quotes aloud in time order. The earliest quote is 1496. After they read their quote aloud, they should affix it to a prepared timeline in the room.
  4. After everyone has shared, debrief the experience with the students. Consider some of the following questions to guide the conversation:
    • What did you learn about the Haitian Revolution from this reading?
    • Did you hear anything that surprised you? Perhaps things that didn't match the story as you knew it from before?
    • What questions do you have about what you heard?
    • What patterns or trends do you notice on the timeline.
    • Was there any unusual language, words, or phrases that surprised you? Why?

Extensions

  • You can have students try to sort the quotes by content or time frame. What other patterns do they notice?
  • Students can select parts of the quotes and create a found poem with the excerpts.

Assessment

In the conversation that results from this exercise, listen for evidence that students understand that the Haitian Revolution was not an isolated event. It was influenced by a series of events and the actions and responses from diverse people from around the globe that preceded it. It had a profound impact on American history as a result of its success.

Written reflection

Have students work in pairs or small groups to complete the following statements:

  • I used to think..., but now I realize....
  • I used to think..., but now I wonder....