Haitian society in the early 19th century was primarily made up of four groups: the white plantation owners, known as the "grand blancs," who held most of the economic power; the free people of color, or "gens de couleur," who were often wealthy and educated but still faced discrimination; the enslaved Africans who worked on plantations and made up the majority of the population; and the mixed-race individuals, who occupied a unique social position between the whites and the enslaved. This complex social structure contributed to the tensions that ultimately led to the Haitian Revolution.
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