Jean-Jacques Dessalines
From TLP
Jean Jacques Dessalines fought with Toussaint Louverture against the British and French. After turning against Toussaint and joining Leclerc, Dessalines would eventually become the leader of the revolution. Dessalines declared Saint-Domingue's independence on January 1, 1804, and became the Black Republic's first leader.
"A handsome, 'red-skinned' Negro from Senegal, fearless in the field and unscrupulous off it." (Parkinson, p. 67)
References
- Parkinson, Wenda (1978). This Gilded African. London: Quartet Books. ISBN 0-7043-2187-4
