The first hero of Haiti was born in 1743 on the Breda plantation located on the heights of Le Cap. His roots have been traced back to Africa, where his father was the son of Gaou Guinou, a king of the Aradas Tribe. As a child, he was so frail and delicate that he was not expected to live. Nevertheless, born with a natural strength of character, he hardened his body through severe and rigorous exercises such as riding and swimming. He distinguished himself so remarkably that he was made coachman, then a steward of all the livestock on the estate of his master, Bayon Libertat. As an adult, he learned to read and write with the help of his godfather, Pierre Baptiste, an old free negro. Toussaint Louverture acquired a passion for books and read the writings of famous authors such as the Philosophical and Political History of the Indies by a French priest, Abbé Raynald, from which he was struck by the prophecy of a black chief who would free all slaves. From that time on, Toussaint held the secret mission of breaking the chains that were holding him and his black brothers in slavery.

Determined to achieve his goal, Toussaint joined the camp of the insurgents in 1791. He fought first for the Crown of Spain, and then on the side of France. He earned the name "Louverture," which means "opening," for as a French soldier, he won several cities in St-Domingue for France by fighting against Spain and England. In 1801, he was proclaimed the Governor-for-Life of St-Domingue and declared the abolition of slavery in the colony. He administered St-Domingue with extraordinary skills and discipline, and was feared and respected by whites, mulattoes and blacks alike. He was a devout Catholic, who attempted to suppress voodoo and encourage Christian practices. in 1802, Napoleon Bonaparte sent an expeditionary fleet to restore slavery in the colony. Toussaint was defeated and arrested through treachery under the order of Napoleon who sought to restore slavery in St-Domingue. Toussaint was sent to France and jailed without judgment in the Fort de Joux prison, located in the icy mountains of that country. Incarcerated and separated from his family and friends, he died on April 7, 1803 of ill treatment, cold and humiliation.

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