William Wells Brown - Dessalines

A description of Jean-Jacques Dessalines from the 1863 book The Black Man, His Antecedents, His Genius, and His Achievements by William Wells Brown (1814 Kentucky - November 6, 1884 Chelsea, Massachusetts). William W. Brown, a former slave and abolitionist, has a much more positive opinion of Dessalines than his contemporaries of European origin and over the more than 200 years since the Haitian Revolution this has become more of a mainstream view, with more writers elevating Dessalines and highlighting his accomplishments. The view of William Wells Brown contrasts sharply with the 1837 book by John Brown M.D The History and Present Condition of St. Domingo (excerpt). Part of which can be certainly explained by the authors different status within society.

The birth-year of William Wells Brown is sometimes given as 1815.

Various sources give different birthplaces and/or dates for Jean-Jacques Dessalines, but respected Haitian historians such as Madiou, in his L'Histoire d'Haïti published in 1847, come to the conclusion that Dessalines was born in the North of Haiti near Grande-Rivière-du-Nord. The text, as many dealing with the Haitian Revolution, has several passages that seem removed from the truth, in part explainable by the fact, that many early writers did never set foot on Haitian soil and that many materials they consulted, were presented not by Haitians but often by Europeans, who often had strong biases and also little in country experience.

Reference

 * - p. 110-117
 * Wikipedia contributors (2006). William Wells Brown. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 06:12, February 2, 2006.