Jean-Jacques Dessalines is remembered for his role in the Haitian Declaration of Independence. After the successful slave revolt against French colonial rule, Dessalines proclaimed Haiti's independence on January 1, 1804, making it the first independent Black republic and the first country in the Western Hemisphere to abolish slavery. As a key leader in the Haitian Revolution, Dessalines's declaration asserted the nation’s sovereignty and the right to self-governance following decades of oppression. His actions not only changed the course of Haitian history but also had far-reaching implications for the abolitionist movement and colonial practices across the world.