Final answer:
Robespierre's reign led to the emancipation of slaves in French colonies including St. Domingue during the French Revolution. However, Napoleon's rise to power saw these gains reversed when he reinstated slavery. Ultimately, this period laid the foundations for the Haitian Revolution and eventual independence of Haiti in 1804.
Step-by-step explanation:
The reign of Maximilien Robespierre and the radical Jacobins had a significant and positive impact on enslaved people on the island of St. Domingue, sparking one of the most successful slave rebellions in history. Initially encouraged by the French Revolution, enslaved individuals on the sugar plantations in St. Domingue rose up in revolt in 1791. Their fight against slavery was legitimatized when the Jacobins abolished slavery in French colonies in 1793, a decision influenced in part by the ideals of the revolution during Robespierre's leadership. However, after Robespierre's fall and Napoleon Bonaparte's rise to power, these achievements were thwarted when Napoleon reinstated slavery and sent troops to retake the island.
Despite this setback, the seeds of liberty sown during Robespierre's reign helped sustain the fight for freedom in St. Domingue, which continued under the leadership of Toussaint L'Ouverture. The Haitian Revolution culminated in the founding of the free republic of Haiti in 1804. This marked the establishment of the first republic ruled by people of African descent in the Western Hemisphere, all stemming from a revolution initially inspired by the French Revolution's ideologies.