ALEXANDRE PETION

During the later years of the 18th century and the early years of the 19th, many brave men battle for the independence of the Republic of Haiti. Among, them was Alexandre Petion, a young man of great vision. Petion is known as the founder of the republic of Haiti, but with his help, many Latin American countries were also liberated. In the twelve years that he ruled, Alexandre Petion endured many hardships, but created the foundation for the country. Petion was born in Port-au-Prince in 1770 to a French father and a Black mother. He was known at that time as a mulatto. At the age of 18, he was sent to study and became a soldier in France at the Military Academie de Paris. Along with Jean-Jacques Dessalines, Petion organized the mulattos with the African slave in order to fight the French army for the independence of Haiti. After an ambush and the death of Dessalines, Petion was elected President of the Republic of Haiti on March 09, 1806.

During his reign as president, he was responsible for the design of the official flag of the Haiti. He designed the coat of arms within the white square. Less than a decade later after its independence, Haiti, began to help its neighbors in South America to gain liberty as well. Simon Bolivar, the Liberator, came to Haiti to seek help for his struggle to liberate his country Venezuela from Spain. Petion gave Bolivar: money, weapons, ammunitions and even Haitian volunteer soldiers to help him fight for freedom. The only thing Petion asked in return was abolition of slavery in all the territories that he may later help liberate. Simon Bolivar with the help of Haiti proclaimed Venezuela's independence in 1812 and truly liberated: Colombia in 1819, Venezuela in 1821, Ecuador and Peru in 1822. The first Black independent nation in the world was created by many different people. Among them, one of the greatest and most influential, was Alexandre Petion. He ruled during the infancy of the young nation and serve until his death, on March 29, 1818.