They drove out the French and British by force and saw Spain cede its territory by treaty - part of the only successful large-scale slave revolution in history.
Toussaint Louverture first fought for Spain, then switched to the French side after France abolished slavery in 1794 and helped push Spanish forces out; Spain formally ceded its share of Hispaniola to France in the 1795 Treaty of Basel. A British expeditionary force of about 20,000 was beaten back, most dying of yellow fever, and finally Napoleon's army of 40,000, sent to restore slavery, was defeated.
