On Aug. 14, 1791, the Haitian Revolution began with the Bois Caïman ceremony, a popular voodoo ceremony. Enslaved people met in the forest to create plans to burn down plantations and start an all-out rebellion.
On Aug. 16, 1791, some enslaved men began setting fire to an estate and eventually told white masters about the plan to rebel and the people leading it. Many of the planters who are warned of the rebellion refused to believe it.
