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| 3 | 3 | | HR 8059 2023 |
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| 8 | 8 | | hr8059-00 |
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| 9 | 9 | | Page 1 of 2 |
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| 10 | 10 | | F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S |
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| 11 | 11 | | |
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| 12 | 12 | | House Resolution 1 |
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| 13 | 13 | | A resolution recognizing October 17, 2023, as "Jean -2 |
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| 14 | 14 | | Jacques Dessalines Day" in Florida. 3 |
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| 15 | 15 | | 4 |
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| 16 | 16 | | WHEREAS, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, regarded as one of the 5 |
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| 17 | 17 | | founding fathers of Haiti, was born in 1758, and 6 |
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| 18 | 18 | | WHEREAS, Dessalines served under the command of acclaimed 7 |
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| 19 | 19 | | military leader Toussaint L'Ouverture during the Haitian 8 |
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| 20 | 20 | | Revolution to fight for freedom from France, and 9 |
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| 21 | 21 | | WHEREAS, when Toussaint L'Ouverture was deported t o France 10 |
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| 22 | 22 | | in 1802 by Napoleon's forces, Dessalines continued the fight for 11 |
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| 23 | 23 | | freedom, and 12 |
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| 24 | 24 | | WHEREAS, Dessalines served as Governor -General of Saint-13 |
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| 25 | 25 | | Domingue, which is now Haiti, and went on to serve as the first 14 |
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| 26 | 26 | | ruler of an independent Haiti under the 1805 Con stitution, and 15 |
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| 27 | 27 | | WHEREAS, after freeing the colony from French rule, General 16 |
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| 28 | 28 | | Dessalines proclaimed Haiti an independent country on January 1, 17 |
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| 29 | 29 | | 1804, and 18 |
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| 30 | 30 | | WHEREAS, Dessalines declared himself the first emperor of 19 |
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| 31 | 31 | | Haiti in 1804, and 20 |
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| 32 | 32 | | WHEREAS, under Dessalines, Haiti became the first country 21 |
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| 33 | 33 | | in the Americas to permanently abolish slavery, and 22 |
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| 34 | 34 | | WHEREAS, according to Haitian historical tradition, 23 |
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| 35 | 35 | | Dessalines created the first iteration of the Haitian flag by 24 |
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| 36 | 36 | | taking a French flag, tearing out the white stripe of mat erial, 25 |
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| 37 | 37 | | |
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| 38 | 38 | | HR 8059 2023 |
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| 43 | 43 | | hr8059-00 |
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| 44 | 44 | | Page 2 of 2 |
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| 45 | 45 | | F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S |
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| 47 | 47 | | and having a Haitian seamstress, Catherine Flon, sew together 26 |
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| 48 | 48 | | the blue and red pieces of material to symbolize freedom and an 27 |
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| 49 | 49 | | end to European influence, and 28 |
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| 50 | 50 | | WHEREAS, Dessalines served as Emperor of Haiti until his 29 |
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| 51 | 51 | | assassination during a military re volt on October 17, 1806, the 30 |
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| 52 | 52 | | anniversary of which is celebrated annually in Haiti as 31 |
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| 53 | 53 | | Dessalines Day, and 32 |
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| 54 | 54 | | WHEREAS, there is a strong connection between Haiti and 33 |
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| 55 | 55 | | Florida with hundreds of thousands of Haitian Americans residing 34 |
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| 56 | 56 | | in South Florida, NOW, THERE FORE, 35 |
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| 57 | 57 | | 36 |
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| 58 | 58 | | Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of 37 |
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| 59 | 59 | | Florida: 38 |
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| 60 | 60 | | 39 |
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| 61 | 61 | | That October 17, 2023, is designated as "Jean -Jacques 40 |
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| 62 | 62 | | Dessalines Day" in Florida. 41 |
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