Dominican Republic and Haiti: Country Studies

Dominican Republic and Haiti: Country Studies
were dead. War had resumed in Europe, and consequently
Rochambeau was never adequately supported. Following the
French defeat at Vertieres, Rochambeau fled to Jamaica in
November 1803, where he surrendered to the British, ending
French colonial rule in Saint-Domingue. After a decade of violence,
300 years of foreign domination had come to an end.
Early Years of Independence, 1804-43
On January 1, 1804, Jean-Jacques Dessalines proclaimed the
birth of a new nation. Its name would be Haiti, taken from an
Arawak word for "mountainous," and its flag would be red and
blue like the French tricolor, but minus the white stripe.
The new nation faced major challenges. Its black and
mulatto population of 480,000 in 1789 had been reduced to
250,000 by 1804. Its plantation-based economy was in shreds,
and few of the 170,000 who could still do agricultural work
wanted to return to the plantations, the symbol of slavery. Even
if a supply of labor were found, credit would be required, and it
would not be obtainable from the hostile, slave-owning surrounding
states. The population was uneducated and largely
unskilled, and commerce was almost nonexistent.
Dessalines, the first leader of Haiti, was born in the north,
on the Corers plantation, where he served as a field hand prior
to being sold to a freeman. Both his masters were brutal, and
Dessalines developed a hatred for whites, mulattoes, and
authority. When the revolt began, he joined forces with Toussaint
Louverture, and proved to be a successful and ruthless
leader in battle. As the leader of Haiti, Dessalines governed
with a firm hand just as Toussaint had done and, like Toussaint,
reimposed the plantation system and used the military to
ensure that laborers stayed on the plantations and worked. The
quality of life for blacks did not improve much during Dessalines's
rule. His extensive use of the military set a pattern that
lasted until the army was disbanded in 1995.
In 1803 Dessalines became governor general for life, and, in
1804, he crowned himself Emperor Jacques I. Dissatisfaction
with his rule increased and became widespread. Cultured Haitians
objected to his ignorance and illiteracy, the mulattoes felt
threatened by his racism, and most Haitians objected to his corruption
and poor economic judgment.
Dessalines was assassinated on October 17, 1806. En route to
Port-au-Prince with a column of troops to crush a mulatto-led
rebellion, Dessalines was ambushed, shot, and hacked to pieces
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