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Dessalines was born on this day in the Grande-Riviere-du-Nord, in what was at the time the French colony of Saint Domingue on the Island of Hispaniola. He was one of three children and his parents, whose identity and exact origin are unknown, were enslaved Africans.
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Being born into slavery, Dessalines was exposed to the harsh lifestyle right from the very beginning of his life. He lived as a slave for approximately 33 years, a time in which he was subject to severe maltreatment.
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In 1788, after enduring years and years of harsh treatment at the hands of Henry Duclos, he was finally sold to a forrmerly enslaved African man, or Afranchie, who was known by the name of Dessalines.
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In 1971, Dessalines escaped from his master to join the Slave Revolution, which was at the time headed by Jean Francois Papillon and Georges Biassou. The slave revolution had risen as a result of Napolean Bonaparte's declaration to reintroduce slavery to Haiti.
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Dessalines is so widely known and respected due to his enormous role in establishing independence in Haiti. He is recognized as a great icon of Hatian nationalism and today, is remembered as one of the world's strongest, most powerful military leaders.
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Dessalines’ uncanny ability to gain power quickly led him to becoming chief lieutenant and eventually, in 1799, to brigadier general in Louverture’s army.
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After Louverture’s capture on the 7th of June, 1802, Dessalines assumed the post of Commander in Chief of the Haitian Army, causing a major turning point in the revolution.
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Ater a series of violent attacks, on the 4th of December 1803, Napolean Bonaparte’s French colonial army finally surrendered to Dessalines’s forces.
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After declaring independence, he gave himself the self-proclaimed role of Governor- General of Haiti, a role in which he wato remain for the rest of this life.
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On the 1st of January, 1804, Dessalines officially announced the colony’s independence and renamed it Haiti. In his proclamation speech, “Live free or die!” Dessalines spoke of his passionate hate towards those who had colonised and brought Haiti to such a horrible state.
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Dessalines was an extremely powerful man. After he declared independence in Haiti, he took the self-proclaimed role of emperor (a role in which he was to stay for the rest of his lfie). He was a ruthless leader, and as a result, was assasinated by his own people.
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On the 22nd of September, 1804, Dessalines proclaimed himself the Emperor of Haiti (for life) and assumed his post after a coronation on the 8th of October. Overall, Dessalines’ reign was one that was feared and reviled by many. He was a notorious genocidist and soon proved to be a ruthless leader
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Dessalines was aged 48 when he was assasinated near the capital city in port-au-Prince, at Pont Larnage (Pont-Rouge). His exact death circumstances are unknown, although some theories include being arrested and receiving a fatal blow to the head, an ambushing or being killed after a negotiating meeting at Rue l'Enterrement.
