On January 1, 1804, Dessalines declared independence and renamed the country 'Haiti,' a name derived from:
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: The indigenous Taíno name meaning 'land of high mountains'
The choice of the name 'Haiti' was a symbolic rejection of European colonialism. It honored the original Taíno inhabitants who had been decimated by Spanish and French rule.
Keep practicing
More Haitian Revolution questions
- How did the Haitian Revolution influence the geography of the United States?
- Why is the Haitian Revolution unique among the Atlantic revolutions of the late 18th and early 19th centuries?
- Which European nation occupied the eastern side of Hispaniola (now the Dominican Republic) for much of the revolutionary period?
- The 'War of the Knives' was a civil conflict between Toussaint Louverture and which other revolutionary leader?
- What was the international reaction to Haitian independence in 1804?
- In 1825, France finally recognized Haitian independence under the condition that Haiti pay: