Photo de jean-jacques dessalines biography

Initially regarded as governor-general, Dessalines was later named Emperor of Haiti as Jacques I — by generals of the Haitian Revolutionary army and ruled in that capacity until being assassinated in Dessalines served as an officer in the French army when Saint-Domingue was fending off Spanish and British incursions. Later he rose to become a commander in the revolt against France.

In , Louverture was betrayed and captured, and sent to prison in France, where he died.

Photo de jean-jacques dessalines biography

Saint-Domingue was declared independent on 29 November and then as the independent Republic of Haiti on 1 January , under the leadership of Dessalines, chosen by a council of generals to assume the office of governor-general. Fearing a new French military expedition and the annihilation of the black population, he ordered the Haitian massacre of the remaining French population in Haiti, resulting in the deaths of between 3, and 5, people, including women and children, and an exodus of thousands of refugees.

As Emperor, Dessalines enforced plantation labor to promote the economy and began a dictatorship. For much of the 19th century, Dessalines was generally reviled by Haitians for his autocratic ways. But by the beginning of the 20th century, Dessalines began to be reassessed as an icon of Haitian nationalism. The national anthem of Haiti, " La Dessalinienne ", written in , is named in his honor.

The names of Jean-Jacques's parents, as well as their region of origin in Africa , are not known. Most slaves trafficked to Saint-Domingue were from west and central West Africa. He later took the surname Dessalines, after a free man of color who had purchased him. Working in the sugarcane fields as a laborer, Dessalines rose to the rank of commandeur , or foreman.

He worked on Duclos's plantation until he was about 30 years old. Still enslaved, Jean-Jacques was bought by a man with the last name of Dessalines, an affranchi or free man of color , who assigned his own surname to Jean-Jacques. From then on he was called Jean-Jacques Dessalines. Dessalines kept this name after he gained his freedom. He worked for that master for about three years.

When the slave uprising of began, it spread across the Plaine-du-Nord. This was an area of very large sugar cane plantations, where the mass of enslaved Africans lived and worked. Mortality was so high that French colonial planters continued to buy more enslaved people from Africa during the eighteenth century. Dessalines became increasingly embittered toward both the whites and gens de couleur libres the mixed-race residents of Saint-Domingue in the years of conflict during the revolution.

Haitian insurgents fought against French colonists and foreign troops in Saint-Domingue. During the years of warfare and changing rule, these included French, British, and Spanish forces. All three European nations had colonies in the Caribbean , where their control and revenues were threatened by the Haitian Revolution. After the expulsion of French forces during the last phase of the Haitian Revolution, Dessalines ordered all remaining Europeans overwhelmingly French people [ 5 ] in the new Republic of Haiti to be killed, men, women and children, including those who had been friendly and sympathetic to the black population.

The couple had or adopted a total number of 16 children including Jacques' from the previous relationship. Innocent, one of his sons, has a fort named in his honor. It is still danced by Haitian families all over the country. Dessalines had two brothers, Louis and Joseph Duclos, who also later took the surname Dessalines. Two of his brothers' sons became high-ranking members of the post-Revolutionary Haitian government.

This rebellion was the first action of what would become the Haitian Revolution. Dessalines became a lieutenant in Papillon's army and followed him to Santo Domingo , occupying the eastern half of the island, where he enlisted to serve Spain's military forces against the French colony of Saint-Domingue. He was fighting with Spanish forces on Hispaniola.

These men wanted above all to defeat slavery. In , after the French declared an end to slavery as a result of the French Revolution, Toussaint Louverture switched allegiances to the French. He fought for the French Republic against both the Spanish and British, who were trying to get control of the lucrative colony of Saint-Domingue.

Dessalines followed, becoming a chief lieutenant to Toussaint Louverture and rising to the rank of brigadier general by In , Dessalines quickly ended an insurrection in the north led by Louverture's nephew, General Moyse. Dessalines gained a reputation for his " take no prisoners " policy, and for burning homes and entire villages to the ground. The rebellious slaves were able to restore most of Saint-Domingue to France, with Louverture in control.

The French initially appointed him as governor-general of the colony. Louverture wanted Saint-Domingue to have more autonomy. As far as I can tell, the oldest artifact among them is the statue. It makes me wonder if an earlier image of him did not circulate that somehow is not quite in the record. Oh, and Lindsay J. The statue was made after the mural, apparently.

I agree that the late 19thth c. Clearly identical to the mural. Late c. Share this: Twitter Facebook Tumblr Email. Like Loading Leave a comment Cancel reply. Comment Reblog Subscribe Subscribed. Haiti and the Atlantic World. Jean Jacques Dessalines. Jean-Jacques Dessalines Coat of arms. Jean-Jacques Dessalines Death and Legacy statue.

Jean-Jacques Dessalines statue. Mort Dessalines Platfom pitit desalin. To eliminate rule by whites, he confiscated their land and made it illegal for them to own property. Probably his most extreme measure was a campaign to eliminate the white population of Haiti. Between February and April, , Dessalines ordered deaths of approximately 3, to 5, white people of all ages and genders.

He enforced tight regulation of foreign trade, and favored commerce with Great Britain and the United States over France. He placed well-educated Haitians, primarily mulattos, into key positions in his administration. The exact circumstances of Dessalines death are uncertain. What is known is that people of all classes were upset with his draconian labor and agricultural policies including the peasants, the fair-skinned elite and the military.

Despite his violent reign, Dessalines lives on as a figure of pride for Haitians. The day of his death, October 17, is a national holiday in Haiti. Dessalines's legacy is embodied in Haiti's national anthem, "La Dessalinienne.