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1800–1801

1800–1801: (The Restoration of Agriculture Through Fermage): To restore the ruined plantations of cane, coffee, cotton, and indigo, Toussaint implemented the…

Haitian

1800–1801: (The Restoration of Agriculture Through Fermage): To restore the ruined plantations of cane, coffee, cotton, and indigo, Toussaint implemented the fermage system, a form of state-controlled serfdom originally conceived in 1798 by Henry Christophe. Under this decree, the state leased abandoned estates to army officers or officials who were required to provide workers with medical care, subsistence, and a quarter of the revenue. Although the workers were technically free, they were fixed to the land under military supervision and could not change plantations or drift into towns. To enforce this labor, Toussaint established 55-man gendarmerie companies in each parish and used flying columns to scour the countryside for “vagabond noirs”. While Dessalines used horrific punishments like burying shirkers alive to improve production, the 1801 export of raw sugar remained at only 19 percent of 1789 levels.

Source HT-WIB-000099, 000100