Haiti
(Ayiti) meaning, "Land of mountain", was first given its name by its first inhabitants
the
Arrawaks and the Caraibe Haitian Indians, who were a peaceful and happy people.
In those days, before 1492 (before the so called discovery of Haiti) there were
five well organized kingdoms in Haiti: the Magua, the Marien, the Xaragua, the
Maguana, and the Higuey. Haiti was self sufficient at the time and its early inhabitants
lived in perfect harmony with the land that they use to cultivate a great deal
of the foods that Haitians still eat today. They also practice hunting to get
meat. They worshiped nature and had traditional rituals performed at the rhythm
of the drumbeat. Then
came Christopher Columbus and the life on this paradise peaceful island would
never be the same. Colonial powers have since 1492 claimed and occupied Haitians
land. Starting in 1492 with the Spanish, then the French and later on the English
to name a few. Haiti's
people like most of its neighbors of the Caribbean were forced to work for the
benefit of others as slaves. The original Indians who were estimated to be 1 million
when Christopher Columbus arrived, died by the thousands when they were forced
to work against their will. Africans
were also imported to do slave labor works (although they are myths suggesting
that Africans, who were also great navigators and great warriors may have visited
and inhabited the island long before Christopher Columbus). (Statue
honoring Haitian unknown freedom fighther (Negre Marron), using the conch shell
"lambi/conque" to make the rallying call for freedom.) 
There
were also slaves from Europe, known as thirty six months slave,
who in exchange for the right of passage that they could not afford, voluntarily
accept to work as slave for thirty six months, so they could later on earn the
right to be on the island with the other Europeans. From
around 1774, in the British thirteen colonies of the America, the subjects were
fighting against unfair taxation and out of that battle was born on the 4th of
July 1776 a new nation, the United States of America, for which Haitian volunteers
such as: Henri Christophe, Rigaud, Beauvais among the most famous fought for the
cause of American freedom in Savannah, Georgia. French Admiral, Comte D'Estaing
brought some of the Haitians to help in the US war of independence after the George
Washington's liberation army was almost defeated by the British colonial army.
Some of the Haitians fought under the command of famous French General Lafayette.
Haitian volunteers also fought under the command of French General Comte De Grace
in the famous sea battle of Yorktown, Virginia, one of the most decisive battle
in the American war for Independence. 
(Statue
honoring Haitian General/President/King Henri Christohphe, one of the Haitian
volunteer who fought under the French to help US gain its independence in 1776.
Following the order of Jean Jacques Dessalines, he had built the Fort Citadelle
Laferiere (considered today as one of the eight wonder of the world/Patrimoine
de l'humanite'). Meanwhile the Colonial
powers of the era: France, England and Spain fought amongst themselves for the
supremacy of the sea and land elsewhere. At home, the French had their French
revolution, took over La Bastille (prison and symbol of absolutism) on July 14th
1789, captured and forced Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette to accede in June 1791,
then the Republicans executed the king by guillotine on January 21st, 1793, declare
their country a republic to do away with monarchy and special privilege forever
and declared "Equality between men" "L' egalite entre les hommes". On April 4th,
1792, the French legislative body in France made public a decree, under which
men of colors (mulatto) and free blacks were entitled to vote and occupy political
position. Sonthonax
a young lawyer of Paris was chosen by the French legislature and was sent to enforce
this decree in Saint Domingue/Haiti. It is evident, that this decree did not favor
the French colonists, who had kept the mulattos(descendents of white French settlers
and black Africans) as their prisoners in the southern part of Haiti. It is also
obvious that Sonthonax was philosophically up to the task, since he had written
himself a year earlier that: "Les
terres de Saint Domingue doivent appartenir au noirs. Ils les ont acquises a la
sueur de leur front.(The lands of Saint Domingue/Haiti must belong to the blacks.
They have earned them with the sweat of their labors.)" In 1796
the third Civil Comission brought from France 30,000 riffles. While Sonthonax
distributed the riffles to the indigenous people of Saint-Domingue, he told them:
"Voici votre liberte'! Celui qui vous enlevera ce fusil voudra
vous rendre esclaves." "Here is your freedom. The one who would
take away this riffle would wish to make you slaves." By
1797 Haiti had made great progress toward equality between men that the French
had proclaimed to the world and its people not excluding the colonies. Although
slavery was not totally abolished, it had an army, which consisted of 51,000 men
of which 48,000 were blacks or mulattos and 3,000 were whites or Europeans. It
was this army, which under the command of black Haitian Brigadier General Toussaint
Louverture (Toussaint, a slave in Haiti until the age of 40, of African ancestry
of the Gaou-Guinou military family from the Aradas kingdom in the west African
country of Dahomey, a former French colony until 1960, known today as Benin) that
the French were victorious in defeating the British, who were trying to take over
Haiti with the complicity of the French settlers/colonists, who did not agree
with the French legislature decree for equality to vote, just granted to the mulattos
and the free blacks. They would rather commit the sacrilege of favoring British
conquest of the part of Saint Domingue where they had control, rather than submit
to the rule of the French law of France (although at this time England was still
one of France fiercest competitor at sea and wherever rich lands could fall prey/victim
to the greed of armed settlers/colonists of Europe). Before leaving the island,
the English, under Major Maitland entered in a dialogue with the Haitian General
Toussaint Louverture, so he could secure some commercial interest for England.
The British with full military honor received General Toussaint Louverture and
was returned the control of Port-au-Prince, St Marc and Arcahaie in April, 1798
and Mole St Nicholas on August 31, 1798, before they left the island. 
(Statue
of Haitian hero "Le premier des Noirs", Brigadier General Toussaint Louverture."
En me renversant, on n'a abattu a Saint-Domingue que le tronc de l'abre de la
Liberte' des noirs, il repoussera par les racines parce qu'elles sont profondes
et nombreuses." "By overthrowing me, they have only brought down in Saint-Domingue
the trunk of the tree of freedom of the blacks, it will grow again by its roots
because they are deep an numerous.") Toussaint
later on, to the displeasure of the French decided of its own power to forgive
all the whites who had fought with the British against the French. During
the first week of January 1801, General Toussaint Louverture left Mirebalais and
led his army of 25,000 men to a campaign of reunification of the island, he took
over Azua on January 14th and his war companion General Moyse entered Santiago
on January 15th. On January 28th 1801, General Toussaint and his army entered
triumphantly in Santo Domingo, where he was received by the Spanish Governor,
Don Garcia, who then gave him the key of the city during a welcoming ceremony,
where had gathered: the local Spanish authorities, the army and the civilian local
population. One of Toussaint greatest human deed during the reunification was
the proclamation and the abolition of slavery in the eastern side of the island
Saint Domingue/Hispaniola. By
the end of 1801, France self proclaimed First Consul, Napoleon Bonaparte decided
to challenge the authority of General Toussaint Louverture with the ultimate goal
of reestablishing slavery (partly to please the Colonists/French settlers who
were opposed to Sonthonax policy of political equality) in the autonomous colony
of Saint Domingue. He sent a huge army of over 20,000 men and a flotilla of over
eighty warships toward Haiti. At
his arrival in Haiti, French General, Leclerc, brother in law of Napoleon ordered
Toussaint to surrender, but the latter refused. Toussaint in reverse swore to
burn up the place rather than surrender, and ordered his indigenous generals such
as: General Christope to burn Cap Haiti, General Maurepas to burn Port-de-Paix,
General Dessalines to burn St Marc, General Vernet to burn Gonaives etc... This
may have been the beginning of the rebellion, which would lead into the war for
independence by the elite of the Haitian generals, who were until then one of
the best trained and equipped army in the colonies devoted and loyal to France.
On February 1st, 1802 Leclerc ordered Christophe to surrender Cap Haitien, the
latter following the order of Toussaint declared, that he will not surrender until
it is reduced to ashes and that even on these ashes, he will continue to fight
him. In Santo-Domigo, Paul Louverture surrendered to the French, Laplume did likewise
in Cayes a southern province of Sain-Domigue. There were fierce battles in Port-de-Paix
between indigenous General Maurepas and French Generals Humbert and Debelle. The
resitance and courage of the indigenous liberating army would take place on the
hill top of the old Fort named "La Crete A Pierrot", built by the English during
their temporary occupation of Petite-Riviere in the department of Artibonite.
On Mars 4th, 1802, the indigeneous soldiers resisted the French assault led by
Debelle, 300 of his 2000 soldiers lost their lives in the battle and Debelle was
forced to withdraw. On Mars 11th, Dessalines relized that the entire army of Boudet
was at the foot of the hill ready to attack. It was then that he uttered these
words that would symbolize the will of the indigenous soldiers to fight for their
freedom at any cost "Je ne veux garder avec moi que des braves. Que ceux qui veulent
redevenir esclave des Francais sortent du fort. Que ceux au contraire, qui veulent
mourir en hommes libres se rangent autour de moi" "I only want the braves to stay
with me. Those who wish to become once again French slaves can make their way
out of this fort. Those on the contrary who wish to die as free men may take their
place around me". By unanimous voice, they all responded: "Nous mourrons tous
pour la Liberte'!" "We will all die for freedom!" During the French assault of
La Crete-a-Pierot General Leclerc was wounded, General Boudet lost seven hundred
soldiers. The fort was already surrounded by French troops, when Rochambeau came
along with his troops, which will also suffered heavy lost during their assault
of the fort. Under the corver of darkness, Dessalines found a way to leave the
fort so he could seek reinforcement. It was during Dessalines outing that the
indigenous army, wich was running out of foods and amunitions, under the command
of Magny and Lamatiniere managed to break the French line to escape to safety
by the act of one the most brilliant military maneuver act of courage during the
struggle for freedom and independence of the indigeneous people of the island
of Saint-Domimgue. Meanwhile
the English who had not forgiven the French for taking over some of the lands
they thought they had conquered, decided one day without provocation and no war
declaration to capture 1200 French and Dutch boats and later sent a flotilla to
blockade the ports of Saint-Domingue. The
events were moving now in favor of the indigeneous revolution. The South of Saint-Domingue,
which had remained loyal to France under Laplume is now in full rebellion under
Nicolas Geffrard, as the troop of French General Rochambeau began to suffer some
defeats. The leaders of the indigenous army, namely black General Jean Jacques
Desaalines and mulatto General Alexandre Petion, who had now gained confidence
in their ability to lead their troops in mountainous battlefield they were familiar
with and win the war for freedom against the French army, met in Arcahaie on May
18th, 1803 for the creation of a symbolic flag of their unity of their common
cause for freedom from the French empire. Dessalines by a symbolic act removed
the white from the French flag, then unite the blue to the remaining red to represent
the union of the blacks and the mulatoes against the white French opressors of
the time. After
ten years of struggles and uprisings, on November 18th, 1803, Haitian soldiers
led by Capois La Mort won the last decisive battle against the French army of
Napoleon led by Rochambeau in the "Combat de Vertieres" in the North of Saint-Domingue.
With this epic and courageous victory, Haiti's independence was symbolically won
on the battlefield and was declared independent on January 1st, 1804. Boisrond
Tonerre drafted the Haitian act of
Independence, which was red in a ceremony led by General Jean Jacques Dessalines
and signed by a select group of Generals from the Haitian elite army for Independence,
on the ground named "Place des Armes" in Gonaives. 
General/Governor
General for life Jean Jacques Dessalines, Father of Haitian Independence, January
1st,1804. On Sebtember 22nd, 1804 he was proclaimed by his honor guard and his
loyal half-brigade as Emperor like Napoleon and was crowned on October 8th, 1804
as Jacques the First. An imperial constitution was created for Haiti in 1805 with
provision for sharing of power with the Emperor, the position for a Minister of
Haiti internal Affair, a Minister of Finance, a Minister of War and a Secretary
of State." Vivre libre ou mourir! Live free or die!" Pages
1 of 4| 2| |
3|
4|
|
