August 22
Haitian Revolution Begins
On August 22, 1791, enslaved Africans in the French colony of Saint-Domingue launched a revolution that would result in the independent nation of Haiti in 1804, the first free Black republic in the Western Hemisphere.
Haitian Revolution Begins
On August 22, 1791, enslaved Africans in the northern province of Saint-Domingue rose up in a carefully planned revolt that would become the Haitian Revolution. Led initially by Dutty Boukman, the uprising grew into a full-scale revolution that lasted 13 years, ultimately defeating Napoleon's forces and ending slavery on the island.
Fannie Lou Hamer Testifies Before DNC Credentials Committee
On August 22, 1964, Hamer's televised testimony about beatings and abuse she suffered for registering Black voters in Mississippi shocked the nation and exposed the brutality of voter suppression in the South.
Jean-Michel Basquiat Born
Born on August 22, 1960, Jean-Michel Basquiat rose from a graffiti artist in New York City to become one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. His work addressed themes of race, class, and colonialism. Basquiat's paintings now sell for tens of millions of dollars at auction.
Jean Baptiste Point du Sable Founds Chicago
In the 1780s, Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, a fur trader of Haitian origin, built the first permanent settlement at the mouth of the Chicago River. He is recognized as the founder of Chicago, one of America's largest cities.