The Haitian Revolution was the only successful slave insurrection in history. Its leaders grasped the full meaning of French revolutionary ideas and used them to create the world's first black republic. The event elevated a black general, Toussaint Louverture, to such international fame that admirers ranked him on par with George Washington. The movement has been called the birth moment of universal human rights. Vaguely remembered today, the Haitian Revolution was a hurricane at the turn of the 19th century, traumatizing Southern planters and inspiring U.S. slaves. ÉGALITÉ FOR ALL explores this history through music, voodoo ritual, powerful re-creations and the comments of insightful writers and historians.