Dessalines ( ht, Desalin) wrongly referred to as ''Marchand-Dessalines'' ( ht, Machan Desalin), is a commune in the Artibonite department of

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and s ...

. It is named after

Jean-Jacques Dessalines Jean-Jacques Dessalines ( Haitian Creole: ''Jan-Jak Desalin''; ; 20 September 1758 – 17 October 1806) was a leader of the Haitian Revolution and the first ruler of an independent Haiti under the 1805 constitution. Under Dessalines, Haiti be ...

, a leader of the

Haitian Revolution The Haitian Revolution (french: révolution haïtienne ; ht, revolisyon ayisyen) was a successful insurrection by self-liberated slaves against French colonial rule in Saint-Domingue, now the sovereign state of Haiti. The revolt began on ...

and the first ruler of independent Haiti. It is known as the First Black Capital of the New World.

History

French Period

During that period L'Éstère city was a major city in the

Artibonite Valley Artibonite Valley is a valley predominantly in Haiti, on the island of Hispaniola. The Artibonite River flows through the valley, with headwaters in the Dominican Republic as well. The valley's watershed provides vital ecosystem services on whic ...

. Marchand at that time was a habitation probably belonging to a french name Marchand.

Haitian Period

During the Haitian revolution, Dessalines organized most of his troops from the town of Petite Riviere de Artibonite. Dessalines asked Pétion to lay a plan for a new city that would become the capital of free Haiti over the ''habitation Marchand''. In 1804 the town was made the capital of the newly independent state of Haiti. It was renamed after

in honor of the first Haitian head of state. The imperial constitution of 20 May 1805 was proclaimed from the town of Dessalines. After the emperor's assassination in October 1806

Port-au-Prince Port-au-Prince ( , ; ht, Pòtoprens ) is the capital and most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 987,311 in 2015 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The metropolitan area is define ...

was declared the new capital of Haiti.

Geography

The commune lay in the Artibonite Valley, on the north shore of the river at the bottom of the Montagne Noir mountain range. The major river of the commune is the Estère river.

Economy

Agriculture

Like much of the valley Dessalines' main economical hub is agriculture mainly rice cultivation.

Tourism

Dessalines have great potential for historical and cultural tourism.

Historical Places

* Fort Fin-du-Monde * Fort Madame * Fort Doco * Fort Innocent * Fort Culbuté * Fort Décidé * Kayloa Dessalines * Bassin Félicité

References

Populated places in Artibonite (department) Communes of Haiti {{Haiti-geo-stub