... to be. Saint Domingue only complicated this situation with its diversity and racial separation. Saint Domingue consisted of the white planters, petit blancs, free persons of color, the domestic slaves, field hands, and the maroons. The white planters were wealthy whites who owned plantations and many slaves. They were united in support for slavery since their wealth depended on the labor of slaves. The petit blancs where the less powerful group of whites who "were especially anti-black, seeing free persons of color as serious economic and social competitors."2 The free persons of color were black slaves who had received freedom and were quite wealthy. Many of them actually owned slaves and plantations; they were usually strongly pro-slavery as they wanted to draw distinct lines between themselves and the slaves. Slaves made up almost eighty percent of the population and they outnumbered the free people ten to one. Slaves were divided ...

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