Haiti Declares Independence
1804 · 19th Century
On January 1, 1804, Jean-Jacques Dessalines declared the independence of Haiti from France at Gonaives, renaming the former colony of Saint-Domingue using the indigenous Arawak name. The declaration followed a 13-year revolution in which enslaved people overthrew French colonial rule. Dessalines had served under Toussaint Louverture before leading the final military campaign, defeating Napoleon's expeditionary force at the Battle of Vertieres in November 1803. Haiti became the second independent nation in the Americas after the United States.
Key Figures
Jean-Jacques DessalinesToussaint LouvertureHenri ChristopheCharles Leclerc
Locations
Cap-FrançaisPort-au-PrinceSaint-Domingue
Topics
napoleonFrancecaribbean
Connected Events — 2 Connections
Haiti's independence weakened Napoleon's imperial finances and forced him to sell Louisiana Territory to fund European wars, contributing to the imperial overextension that led to his defeat at Waterloo Battle of Waterloo
The Haitian Revolution (1791-1804) culminated in Haiti's Declaration of Independence, with the same revolutionary leaders completing their successful overthrow of French colonial rule and slavery Haitian Revolution
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