Jean Baptiste DuSable, Born in St Marc Haiti, Founder of Chicago

In 1774, Jean Baptiste DuSable, a black frontierman born in Haiti, founded the City of Chicago, Illinois. In case you didn't know, Jean Baptiste Pointe Du Sable was born in St. Marc, Haiti around 1745.

His father was french and his mother was a Haitian Slave. He was educated in France and later worked on one of his father's ships as a seaman.

Du Sable was very well educated and spoke French, Spanish and English fluently. He collected fine art and owned several European rare art pieces.

Du Sable was injured on one of his voyages and he put ashore in New Orleans to heal. After his recovery, he made his way up the Mississippi River to Illinois where he settled in Peoria. He eventually owned over 800 acres in the area.

Jean Baptiste Du Sable married a Potawatomi Indian named Kittihawa.

They had a son named Jean and a daughter named Susanne.

In 1779 he left Peoria and explored north to an area called Eschikagou, (Chicago) by the Indians. DuSable, recognizing it's future potential, decided to settle in the area and built the first permanent home on the banks of the Chicago River.

He established a trading post which became the main point of supply for traders and trappers heading west. Du Sable's trading post did very well and he became quite wealthy. A granddaughter was born in 1796 becoming the first child born in Chicago.

In 1800 Du Sable sold his entire holdings and moved to Missouri. He died on August 29, 1818 in St. Charles, Missouri.

You can add this to your list of "Famous Haitians"

Brought to you by Woodring Saint Preux

In the Place where there is a leader, do not seek to become a leader. In the place where there is no leader, strive to become a leader.
- The Talmud -

Sources:Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Africana
article source: multirace.org

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All Comments (12)

Susan says...

Wow Teresa Walters, you are one ignorant woman!
Learn your REAL history!
Such ignorance is why the world is in such despair.

Haitians actually contributed a lot to America.

They helped Americans gain their independence.

Problem is, they referred to them as the French and got lost in the American history books.

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Shakinmyhead says...

at Tereses

Wow, are you serious?! What an immeasurably eventful article and that's what you try to pick from it?

His real nationality and that there's no way he could be black?

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Teresa Walters says...

DuSable was born in the Toronto area and was not even a negro.

The statue is a

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Teresa Walters says...

DuSable was a mostly a white man. No full negro Haitian has ever founded or invented

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Herman Schurmans says...

Not all white people, dear brother, (as all human beings descend from one African mother).

Injustice and cruelty are undeniable throughout history, but we are all equals, brethren, whatever colour we may have on the outside.

Let us get rid of inferiority complexes, for they are very near to superiority complexes.

What is nobler than to partake in the building of the Temple of Humanity, of freedom, equality and brotherhood?

Ion

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Topic says...

the article is a very good article.

We need more of that. it's not uncommon to being left behind when you are black.

that's the reason the greatest black of all was left behind, his parent was unable to find an hotel place to deliver him (JESUS) because he was poor and

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Topic says...

You should be outraged! You live in the most racially divided city in America, but one in which there is much opportunity.

White people do not want to believe that black people could actually be equal to them. Black people are inferior to all white people, even those white people who cannot read or write.

Black people as a whole have fallen into the trap of believing the white man and thinking himself inferior.

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Topic says...

this article had appeared on Chicago, Sun-Times check it online (Key word founder of chicago)

Admirers rally for du Sable

BY DAN ROZEK

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Topic says...

this article had appeared on Chicago, Sun-Times check it online (Key word founder of chicago)

Admirers rally for du Sable

BY DAN ROZEK

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Topic says...

As a young Haitians living in Chicago;I was outraged after watching a documentary on Point-du-Sable on WTTW channel 11(local station) where after studies conducted by some researchers;it was implied that Point-du-Sable came from Canada and not Haiti;the worst thing is for any of my country people is to see where they've hidden the statue of the city's founder;underneath a bridge of Lake Shore Drive;this thing is so small that you might even walk right next to it and you wouldn't even know.
I think it really sucks.

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