Also known as: Morne Rouge Assembly, August 14, 1791 meeting, Lenormand de Mézy meeting
Last updated: April 26, 2026
On August 14, 1791, around two hundred delegates from plantations across the northern plain gathered in the Morne-Rouge parish, on or near the Lenormand de Mézy plantation, to finalize the coordinated uprising that exploded a week later. The vast majority were commandeurs, with others drawn from the relatively mobile layers of enslaved plantation society — coachmen, domestics, cooks — suggesting organized plantation-by-plantation representation rather than spontaneous riot. Carolyn Fick emphasizes this was a revolutionary political assembly, with Vodou providing the medium through which political organization became sacred obligation when the same participants gathered at Bois Caïman.
rouge-assembly — the planning meeting at which commandeurs and other enslaved delegates coordinated the uprising
Both events reflect the ritual and maroon network infrastructure in the North Province before 1791
August 14 - eve of the Assumption feast - was the date of the Morne-Rouge political assembly
The assembly finalized the plans for the August 22, 1791 uprising
The Morne-Rouge political assembly preceded and contextualizes the Bois Caïman ceremony one week later
Morne Rouge Assembly
Morne Rouge Assembly
Morne Rouge Assembly
The assembly gathered at Morne-Rouge in the northern plantation belt
The assembly's cross-plantation coordination exemplifies the underground networks that made the revolution possible
Vodou - secrecy, oath, night travel - operated as a coordinated clandestine network enabling the assembly
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"Morne Rouge Assembly." 1791. Rasin.ai, 2026. https://rasin.ai/connections/events/morne-rouge-assembly. Accessed 2026-05-05.