Most histories of the Haitian revolution present as a start date the outbreak of the slave revolt in the north. But revolutionary events were already in progress on the island, as big white slave holders pushed for representation/autonomy/independence from France, while colored residents of the island had already mobilized against them and begun a civil war. These events are presented as “background” or “pre revolutionary” table setting. I am interested to hear from scholars on the subject how much these events should be considered separate, since the slave revolt was inspired by the same rhetoric of the French Revolution and the cries of liberty of their quarreling masters. It also has the character of being a (somewhat) premeditated effort designed to take advantage of revolutionary chaos, somewhat like other moments of radicalization like august 1792 or October 1917. I welcome your expertise!
Toussaint Louverture: A Revolutionary Life by Philippe Gerard voted that getting out from under slavery is the driving force. This book (1 of only 2 that I have read on the subject, so take this with grains of salt) is focused on Louverture's biography, so lots of attention goes to the pre-revolution decades. Incidentally, my other book from several years ago but that still shd be recommended is The Black Jacobins (1938) by C.L.R. James. He was Afro-Caribbean and Marxist but also anti-Stalin and rather prickly, but he also writes well, but it has been a few too many years for me to quote it properly here.
Gerard does a good job of putting you in the mind and culture of 18th Century Haiti. The US conventional wisdom is slaves want only freedom or revenge. It is odd, but also a historical fact, that a small but growing number of Haitian free Blacks were beginning to own land and their own slaves, to climb up the social ladder in a way that is familiar to slaveholding Africans, slaveholding Asians, slaveholding Greco-Roman Europeans, slaveholding Arabs, but not so much to Americans who know only of 19th Century American slavery. Louverture himself owned a bit of land and a few slaves on and off before getting pulled into the revolution.
As Louverture negotiated colonial politics, he was at times siding with the king against the local 'big White' plantation aristocracy. Later, he reached out to Napoleon with a similar plan. He presented himself and the former African slaves under him as loyal Frenchman who were interested in participating in 'liberty, equality, and fraternity.' In fact, his sons got good university educations in France and served as officers. Louverture's kids were either guests of Napoleon with extra good treatment or hostages ensuring his good conduct, depending on how you interpret this. Think of Game of Thrones Season 1 Theon Greyjoy(!)
Another factor - any slaves that were ever freed up to then in the Caribbean were something other than an act of altruism. French soldiers freed Spanish slaves; Spanish soldiers freed French and English slaves. The morality was on the level as WW2 era British and American bombers taking out the Nazi ball bearing factory so that they couldn't make lots of other stuff anymore. Louverture realized this and nowhere in that book ever met a White abolitionist IIRC. Long story short, Gerard's impression is that the leadership of the Haitian slave revolt were pragmatic and would support monarchy or revolution depending on which got them out from under the thumb of the White planter slaveholders. They even were pragmatic on living peacefully next to landowning Whites or killing them all if they would be a continuing threat - the thing that worked is the thing they went along with, says Girard.