Haiti: The First Free Republic of Our America and an Example for Peoples (+independence)

Published at: 01/01/2025 10:34 AM

On January 1, 1804, the Republic of Haiti, under the leadership of the hero General Jean-Jacques Dessalines, proclaimed its independence from French imperialism.

Haiti became the first country in Latin America and the Caribbean to free itself from colonialist oppression.

This Antillean island was the first Spanish territory in the New World, conquered by Christopher Columbus on his first trip in 1492.

A few years later, the terrible conditions of exploitation, together with the diseases brought by the invaders, had caused a serious population decline among the natives, so the introduction of captured people into Africa began.

Thus, major triggers for the rebellion were configured: on the one hand, the atrocious and inhumane conditions imposed on slaves and, on the other, the news about the emancipation of the North American colonies from the English Crown.

The Battle of Vertières was the last in a series of battles in the Haitian Revolution. It was fought on November 18, 1803 between Haitian revolutionary and popular forces and Napoleon's French expeditionary force, which had been tasked with crushing the rebellion and re-establishing slavery on the island.

Before Vertières, Dessalines had already defeated the French army several times and, by the end of October 1803, local forces had already acquired much of the territory.

On January 1, 1804, Dessalines, the new leader, declared Haiti a free republic.

Mazo News Team