Toussaint L'Ouverture is not a familiar enough name to the majority of Black people of America, but it should be, because he was the man responsible for the second free nation in our hemisphere - Haiti, the first Black republic in the world.

Toussaint L'Ouverture is an inspiration to Black people throughout the world, for here is a man who was born a slave, lived the greater part of his life as a slave, and never gave up the hope and goal of freedom for his people.

In ancient Rome, there was a man who had the same idea. He also was a slave; his name was Spartacus. He led a slave revolt against the power of Rome which was the most formidable power in the world at that time. But he did not succeed, and he was finally put to death by the Romans.

Where Spartacus failed in his attempt to win freedom for the slaves, the "Black Spartacus," Toussaint L'Ouverture, not only succeeded, but did so against even greater odds. He fought and won against three powers - the French, the Spanish, and the British. He succeeded because he was not only a fearless military leader, but also a brilliant politician, well-skilled in the art of negotiation.

Toussaint L'Ouverture turned a group of disorganized slaves into a well-trained fighting army, and they were willing to follow him anywhere. He accomplished this not only through a powerful personality, but with his forceful leadership. He lived with his men, and when they charged, he was right up front, leading them. He shared all the dangers and toils they encountered.

His army consisted not only of the men under his military command, but the masses of Black people throughout the Island of Haiti as well, who trusted Toussaint L'Ouverture as a man devoted to their interests, who would lead them to victory in their struggle against the abomination of slavery.

This Black Spartacus succeeded because he had more "inner weapons" at his disposal than the Spartacus of ancient Rome. Toussaint L'Ouverture's mere presence had an electrifying effect on people - both Black and white. He had a inner fire that seemed to draw them to him.

He was educated, and this allowed him to negotiate on an equal level with the leaders he faught against. Often, he left them filled with admiration for his wisdom and use of political intrigue.

A religious man, he did not murder wantonly, but only killed his enemy when forced to do so. If there was a chance to win a battle without killing, Toussaint used all is skill toward this end. He did not believe in pillage and destruction for their own sake, and in several instances won over the enemy without firing a shot.

Toussaint L'Ouverture was a man of his people, a Black man devoted freedom, equality, and liberty for his Black brothers. He, more than any man in history, was responsible for freeing slaves, restoring their dignity as human beings, and allowing them to be masters of their own fate.

Years before Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, the Black slaves of Haiti were free, and in control of their own Republic, because of the leadership of one man - Toussaint L'Ouverture.