Thomas Madiou

This encounter supposedly sparked Madiou's interest in his country's past, and he returned to Haiti with the intention to write its history.

In Histoire d'Haïti, Madiou continued the work of earlier Haitian authors to combat racialized portrayals of Haiti's past, in particular the country's founding.

He interviewed aging revolutionary veterans during his travels across the country with General Joseph Balthazar Inginac, the secretary-general for Haiti's longest serving nineteenth-century president, Jean-Pierre Boyer.

His history tried to repair the reputation of the black leaders of the Haitian Revolution, especially Toussaint Louverture, portraying the struggle as a justified rebellion against the terrible oppression of slavery.

In addition to his writing, Madiou served in various government positions, including director of the national high school and minister plenipotentiary to Spain.