Congress of Arcahaie

The Congress of Arcahaie took place from May 14 to 18, 1803 in the coastal town of Arcahaie.

The "agenda had two essential points: the establishment of a united command of the revolutionary army under the supreme authority of Jean-Jacques Dessalines, and the adoption of a flag by the indigenous army. The two principal leaders at this time, Dessalines and Pétion, jointly drew up this agenda. On May 14, 1803, military delegations flocked to Arcahaie; only a few of them were from the South. The principal heads of the insurgency did answer the call." (Fleurimond Kerns, transl. by Greg Dunkel, Haiti: A Slave Revolution, first published in French: Haïti-Progrès, May 18, 2003.)

It was during the Congress of Arcahaie on May 18, 1804, that Catherine Flon sew the red and blue Haitian flag.

Reference

Chin, Pat; Dunkel, Greg; Flounders, Sarah, and Ives, Kim, comp. and ed. (2004). Haiti: A Slave Revolution: 200 Years After 1804. New York: International Action Center. ISBN 0-9747521-0-X.