1791 – Thomas-Alexandre Dumas Promoted to General in Revolutionary France

On June 14, 1791, Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, a man of African descent born in Saint-Domingue (now Haiti), received a promotion in the French Revolutionary Army, eventually rising to the rank of General-in-Chief of the French Army of the Alps. He was the highest-ranking person of African ancestry ever in a Western military until Colin Powell in the U.S. centuries later. Known for his bravery, military genius, and principled stance against slavery, Dumas commanded with both strategic brilliance and personal valor. His life inspired the literary creations of his son, Alexandre Dumas, who authored The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo. Dumas’ military career and moral leadership symbolized the radical, albeit temporary, racial equality envisioned by Revolutionary France—a vision quickly undone by Napoleon, who later imprisoned him and reinstated slavery. His story remains a landmark of diasporic achievement and betrayal.