IV 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 1204 
Recognizing the goals and ideals of Flag Day in the Republic of Haiti. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 15, 2008 
Ms. CLARKE submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs 
RESOLUTION 
Recognizing the goals and ideals of Flag Day in the Republic 
of Haiti. 
Whereas in 1801, Toussaint Louverture took over French 
representatives in the colony of St. Dominique (Haiti); 
Whereas France retaliated with an armada and 22,000 sol-
diers and sought to return the colony to France from 
Toussaint Louverture and his Black followers; 
Whereas by January 1802, French battleships were anchored 
in all major ports of St. Dominique (Haiti), and France 
ordered the resisting force to surrender; 
Whereas facing a well-armed and organized French army, the 
resisting force retreated to the mountains and prepared 
for guerilla warfare; 
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•HRES 1204 IH 
Whereas during many confrontations between the French and 
the resisting force, it was observed that both sides had 
the same flag; 
Whereas for the people of the colony, the French tricolor flag 
represented the three social groups prevailing in the col-
ony: blue for the Blacks, white for the Whites, and red 
for the Mulattoes; 
Whereas on May 18, 1803, Jean-Jacques Dessalines created 
the first unofficial Haitian flag by ripping the white out 
of the French flag, which he believed symbolized White 
oppression, and had a women named Katrine Flon sew 
the blue and red flag; 
Whereas on January 1, 1804, Haiti declared its independence 
from France to become the world’s first Black republic 
and the second democracy after the United States; 
Whereas on that day, the Haitian flag was modified again by 
organizing the blue and red bands horizontally, with the 
blue band on top of the red band, and the modified flag 
represented the first flag of the independent Republic of 
Haiti; 
Whereas in 1807, the Haitian flag underwent its first 
changes when Henry Christophe, the leader of the North-
ern Kingdom, adopted the flag of Dessalines but sub-
stituted a black band for the blue band; 
Whereas in the southern and western part of the country, 
Alexandre Petion, president in the south, went back to 
the blue and red of the flag of 1804, but placed the blue 
and red bands horizontally and added a white squared 
portion that included the country arms and the famous 
phrase ‘‘L’UNION FAIT LA FORCE’’, meaning that 
through unity we find strength; 
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•HRES 1204 IH 
Whereas the white squared portion of that flag also included 
cannons and rifles (representing defense of the country), 
an erect royal palm tree (representing a proud Haitian 
keeping his head high looking up to the sky), and a 
Phrygian bonnet on top of the palm tree (symbolizing 
freedom in ancient Greece); 
Whereas the blue and red flag continued to wave until 1965 
when Francois Duvalier suddenly ordered the return to 
Henri Christophe’s flag, with black and red bands placed 
vertically and the arms of the Haitian republic in the 
middle; 
Whereas the Haitian constitution of 1987 describes the new 
flag as follows: (1) two (2) equal-sized horizontal bands: 
a blue one on top and a red one underneath; (2) the coat 
of arms of the Republic shall be placed in the center on 
a white square; and (3) the coat of arms of the Republic 
will be a Palm tree surmounted by the liberty cap and 
under the palms a trophy with the legend: In Union there 
is Strength; 
Whereas May 18th is Flag Day in Haiti, the most celebrated 
holiday in Republic; 
Whereas Flag Day is celebrated by the people of Haiti, and 
throughout its diaspora, with great fanfare on the 
grounds of the national palace in Haiti; and 
Whereas in the United States and throughout the world, Flag 
Day in Haiti is observed by people of Haitian descent, for 
whom the Haitian flag is indisputably a symbol of gen-
eral pride with origins tightly linked to a history of strug-
gle for freedom: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives recog-
nizes the goals and ideals of Flag Day in the Republic 
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•HRES 1204 IH 
of Haiti and encourages the people of the United States 
to observe the day with appropriate ceremonies, celebra-
tions, and activities. 
Æ 
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