Jean Jacques Dessalines (1758-1806) was a Haitian nationalist and the first ruler of a free Haiti. Although he was a courageous military leader during the war of independence, he failed as an administrator and statesman.

There is little detailed information on the exact origins of Jean Jacques Dessalines. Like the first great Haitian leader, Pierre Dominique Toussaint L'Ouverture, Dessalines was of African descent and born into slavery in northern Haiti. Unlike Toussaint, he remained illiterate all his life.

In the turbulent decade between the great slave revolt of 1791 and final independence on Jan. 1, 1804, Dessalines was one of Toussaint's principal lieutenants. During the period when Toussaint was operating against the mulattoes in southern Saint Domingue (later Haiti), Dessalines captured Jacmel, one of their main strongpoints, and followed up his campaign by exterminating the survivors. This ferociousness marked Dessalines throughout his career.

When Napoleon sent his brother-in-law, Captain General Charles...