Louis Boisrond-Tonnerre

Haiti declares independence and secures the abolition of slavery

📅 1 January 1804

Jean-Jacques Dessalines proclaimed independence at Gonaïves and named the country Haiti, drawing on the Indigenous name Ayiti. The declaration explicitly rejected the prospect of re-enslavement and...

Haiti proclaims independence and takes the name Ayiti

📅 1 January 1804

At Gonaïves, Jean-Jacques Dessalines and other revolutionary leaders proclaimed independence, formally breaking with France and naming the new state Haiti, from the Indigenous name Ayiti. The Act of...