Jean-Jacques Dessalines
Jean Jacques Dessalines (1758 - 1806) fought with Toussaint Louverture against the British and French. After turning against Toussaint and joining Leclerc, Dessalines eventually became the leader of the revolution. A fierce warrior, his motto was "Koupe tet, boule kay" - "Cut off the head, burn down the house." (Wilentz) Dessalines declared Saint-Domingue's independence on January 1, 1804, and became the Black republic's first leader. You can read an English translation of his Proclamation of Haiti's Independence here.
"A handsome, 'red-skinned' Negro from Senegal, fearless in the field and unscrupulous off it." (Parkinson, p. 67)
"Insofar as we can talk intelligibly about a caste system in post-colonial Haiti, Dessalines was it's adversary." (Nicholls, p. 39)
On declaring independence, Dessalines is reported to have created the Haitian flag by tearing out the white out of the French tricolor.
References
- Parkinson, Wenda (1978). This Gilded African. London: Quartet Books. ISBN 0-7043-2187-4
- Nicholls, David (1996). From Dessalines to Duvalier. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press. ISBN 0-8135-2239-0
- Wilentz, Amy. (February 15, 2004) Haiti's Man of the People Lost His Way New York Times Week in Review,
