Part 3/15:
Saint-Domingue was a vibrant yet brutal colony, systematically shaped by the Atlantic slave trade. Recognized since 1697 under French sovereignty, the colony monopolized the colonial economy with its plantations of coffee, indigo, and sugar, fueled by an economy that relied on the exploitation of over 450,000 slaves—comprising up to 95% of the population including free people of color and mixed-race individuals.