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Haiti 1803 Flag: Meaning and History

Embroidered flag patch — Haiti 1803

History of the flag

Haiti was the first French colony to gain independence in 1803-1804.

During the War of Independence, Haitian insurgents brandished this flag to affirm their total commitment to fighting slavery and French domination.

What do the elements of the flag mean?

  • ‘Freedom or Death' is the engraved or sewn formula that sums up the absolute choice : to win or to perish, to be free or to disappear.

  • Blue embodies the insurgent people against the occupier.

  • Red represents the emancipated people and the blood shed for freedom.

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