The Haitian Revolution ( 1791 â `` 1804 ) was a period of conflict in the French colony of Saint-Domingue , leading to the elimination of slavery and Haiti as the first republic ruled by Africans . The Haitian Revolution ( 1791 â `` 1804 ) was a period of conflict in the French colony of Saint-Domingue , which culminated in the elimination of slavery there and the founding of the Haitian republic .