Today in Labor History January 1, 1804: Haitian slaves, led by Jean Jacques Desalines, declared independence from France, making Haiti the first free black republic in the world. The U.S. refused to recognize Haiti for the next 70. France extracted millions in restitution, destroying any hope of ever moving out of deep poverty. The slave revolt against the French began in 1791 with the call by Dutty Boukman, a vodou priest. Toussaint L'Ouverture led the revolution. (For a really great history of the Haitian revolution, please see the “Black Jacobins,” by H. L. R. James)
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