Toussaint L'ouverture

Toussaint L'ouverture Toussaint Breda who was later called Toussaint L'ouverture was born in Saint Dominique which is now known as Haiti. It was controlled by the French. Toussaint learned of Africa from his father, who had been born a free man there. Toussaint was fortunate in having a liberal master who had him trained as a house servant and allowed him to learn to read and write. He would read books that he could get …

…French, at Napoleon's orders betrayed the safe conduct and arrested him, putting him on a ship headed for France. Napoleon ordered that Toussaint be placed in a prison dungeon in the mountains and murdered by of cold, starvation and neglect. Toussaint died in prison but the fighting continues under the leadership of Jean Jacques Dessalines and Henri Christophe. On Jan 1, 1804, Dessalines proclaimed him ruler of the new nation which was called Haiti "a higher place".