And so when we get into the Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson, he borrows heavily from these ideas of the Enlightenment. Now, the Haitian Revolution was partially inspired by these ideas of the Enlightenment, but they were also helped by the fact that France was undergoing its own revolution at the time, and it was not in the position to exert strong control over a far-flung colony. The French Revolution lasts from 1789 to 1799, at which point Napoleon Bonaparte takes control of France and starts the Napoleonic Wars. Napoleon tries to keep control, what would eventually be Haiti, was an incredibly valuable resource. It produced a good chunk of coffee and sugar in the world. It was incredibly profitable for the plantation owners and for France as a nation. But between the ideas of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution, the slaves of Haiti, led initially by Toussaint Louverture, were able to overthrow and set up their own nation, which is the first time that this has happened from a successful slave revolt.