Jean-Jacques Dessalines: the man who declared Haiti free
Jean-Jacques Dessalines was born around 1758 and grew up enslaved in the north of Saint-Domingue. He became the general who finished what the revolution had started.
Soldier of the revolution
Dessalines joined the uprising in the 1790s and rose to become one of Toussaint Louverture’s most trusted officers. In March 1802 he held the fort of Crête-à -Pierrot against a much larger French army, a stand still remembered as one of the great feats of the war.
From Arcahaie to Vertières
After Toussaint was captured and sent to France, Dessalines took command. In May 1803 the leaders of the revolution united behind him at Arcahaie. On 18 November 1803 his army won the decisive Battle of Vertières.
1 January 1804
At Gonaïves, Dessalines proclaimed independence and restored the island’s TaÃno name: Haiti. He governed the new state and later that year was crowned Emperor Jacques I. He was assassinated on 17 October 1806 at Pont-Rouge, near Port-au-Prince.
How Haiti remembers him
Haitians call him the father of the nation. The national anthem, La Dessalinienne, carries his name, and 17 October is a national day of remembrance.
