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Jean-Jacques Dessalines was born on the 20th of September 1758 in Grande-Rivière-du-Nord, Haiti. He was born as a slave since his parents were slaves as well. His name was originally Jean Jaque Duclos but his master assigned him a new one.
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In 1788, he was bought by a free black man named Dessalines who treated him much better then his original owner, a white French man named Henry Duclos that made him work under extremely harsh conditions. There he worked for 3 years until he escaped.
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In 1791, Dessalines became a part of the freedom movement that lead to the total abolition of slavery in Haiti. He fought against colonialism and positioned himself as lieutenant to the black leader Toussaint L'Ouverture. The movement was successful.
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In 1793 slavery was abolished in the colony.
