--- Page 1 --- The Haitian Declaration ofIndependence Commander in Chief to the People of Haiti The Citizens: bloodied our land for two centuries; it have the barbarians who have It is not enough to expelled factions that one after another mocked the to have restrained those ever-evolving is not enough We must, with one last act of national specter of liberty that France dangled before you. we must take any hope of liberty in the country of our birth; authority, forever assure the empire that for SO long kept us in the most us away from the inhuman government of re-enslaving live or die. torpor. In the end we must independent humiliating and be the signal of battle and of our let these sacred words unite us Independence or death : reunion. I have brought together those courageous soldiers countrymen, on this solemn day Citizens, my it; these generals who have guided your lay dying, spilled their blood to save who, as liberty the French name still haunts have not yet done enough for your happiness; efforts against tyranny our land. cruelties of this barbarous people: our laws, our habits, Everything revives the memories of the Indeed! There are still French in our still carries the stamp of the French. has our towns, everything of that Republic which, it is true, believe yourself free and independent island, and you defeated those who wanted to be free. fought all the nations, but which has never for 14 years; defeated not by French and indulgence What! Victims of our [own] credulity when will we tire of eloquence of their agents' proclamations; armies, but by the pathetic have in common with this nation of the air that they breathe? What do we color and ours breathing between its cruelty and our patient moderation, its executioners? The difference all tell us plainly that they are not our seas that separate us, our avenging climate, to the great find refuge among us, they will plot again that they never will be, and that if they brothers, trouble and divide us. extend on all parts of this island: women, girls, and children, let your gaze Native citizens, men, sisters. Indeed! Look there for your husbands, your brothers, your look there for your spouses, color and ours breathing between its cruelty and our patient moderation, its executioners? The difference all tell us plainly that they are not our seas that separate us, our avenging climate, to the great find refuge among us, they will plot again that they never will be, and that if they brothers, trouble and divide us. extend on all parts of this island: women, girls, and children, let your gaze Native citizens, men, sisters. Indeed! Look there for your husbands, your brothers, your look there for your spouses, --- Page 2 --- become I shudder to say it the prey of suckling infants, what have they your children, your these vultures. their assassins, these tigers still of these dear victims, your alarmed gaze will see only Instead indicts your lack of feeling and your guilty dripping with their blood, whose terrible presence their spirits? Remember for before appeasing slowness in avenging them. What are you waiting fathers, after you defeated remains to rest next to those of your that you had wanted your avenged them? No! Their bones descend into their tombs without having tyranny; will you would reject yours. without concern for your own pain, have revived And you, precious men, intrepid generals, who, done nothing if you do not give the shedding all your blood, know that you have to liberty by that must be wrought by a people proud nations a terrible, but just example of the vengeance all those who would dare try to and jealous to maintain it let us frighten have recovered its liberty Let them tremble when they approach our let us begin with the French. take it from us again; here, then from the terrible of those cruelties they perpetrated coast, if not from the memory born French whose profane foot soils resolution that we will have made to put to death anyone the land of liberty. ourselves and for ourselves. Let us imitate the grown We have dared to be free, let us be thus by obstacle to him. What people breaks the boundary that has become an child: his own weight fruits of our labor? And what dishonorable for us? What people wanted to gather the for the fought Enslaved Let us leave this description absurdity to conquer in order to be enslaved. have conquered but are no longer free. French; they who, extending their concern into the walk down another path; let us imitate those people Let us cowardice for posterity, preferred to be exterminated future, and dreading to leave an example of their as one of the world's free peoples. rather than lose place our work; let us allow our does not destroy however, that a missionary spirit for Let us ensure, under the laws that they have made to breathe in peace; may they live quietly of the neighbors firebrands, declare ourselves the lawgivers themselves, and let us not, as revolutionary islands. Unlike that consist in troubling the peace of the neighboring Caribbean, nor let our glory innocent blood ofits inhabitants; they have theirs has not been drenched in the which we inhabit, them. to claim from the authority that protects no vengeance let us allow our does not destroy however, that a missionary spirit for Let us ensure, under the laws that they have made to breathe in peace; may they live quietly of the neighbors firebrands, declare ourselves the lawgivers themselves, and let us not, as revolutionary islands. Unlike that consist in troubling the peace of the neighboring Caribbean, nor let our glory innocent blood ofits inhabitants; they have theirs has not been drenched in the which we inhabit, them. to claim from the authority that protects no vengeance --- Page 3 --- have us, they can only have good wishes to have never known the ideals that destroyed Fortunate for our prosperity. "Anathama to the French name! Eternal hatred of but let this be our cry: Peace to our neighbors; France!" sentinel who would watch over the idol to Natives ofHaiti! My happy fate was to be one day the have been SO fortunate as sometimes fighting alone, and ifI which you sacrifice; I have watched, know that it is now your task to hands the sacred trust you confided to me, to return to your for my own happiness. Before it. In fighting for your liberty, I was working who I have preserve free individuality, your leaders, consolidating it with laws that will guarantee your here, and I, owe you the final proof of our devotion. assembled for the of our land, the day has come, leaders, collected here close to me good Generals and you, eternal. the day which must make our glory, our independence, him distance himself and tremble to take the If there could exist among us a lukewarm heart, let entire universe, to forever Let us voW to ourselves, to posterity, to the oath which must unite us. domination; to fight until our last breath for France, and to die rather than live under its renounce the independence of our country. witness to the oath we take, remember that I And you, a people SO long without good fortune, the career of liberty to fight the and courage when I threw myselfinto counted on your constancy for 14 years. Remember that I sacrificed despotism and tyranny you had struggled against fortune, and now I am rich only with your everything to rally to your defense; family, children, and tyrants curse become a horror to all those who want slavery. Despots liberty; my name has while receiving those laws that the spirit the day that I was born. If ever you refused or grumbled deserve the fate of an ungrateful fate dictates to me for your own good, you would the guarding your the liberty that you cherish and support people. But I reject that awful idea; you will sustain and and to prefer Therefore VOW before me to live free independent, leader who commands you. chains. Swear, finally, to pursue forever the that will try to place you back in death to anything traitors and enemies of your independence. * of January 1804, the first year of of Gonaives, the first day Done at the headquarters independence. --- Page 4 --- The Deed ofi independence Native Army Today, January lst 1804, the general in chief of the native army, accompanied by the generals of the army, assembled in order to take measures that will insure the good of the country; After having told the assembled generals his true intentions, to assure forever a stable government for the natives of Haiti, the object of his greatest concern, which he has accomplished in a speech which declares to foreign powers the decision to make the country independent, and to enjoy a liberty consecrated by the blood of the people of this island; and after having gathered their responses has asked that each of the assembled generals take a VOW to forever renounce France, to die rather than live under its domination, and to fight for independence until their last breath. The generals, deeply moved by these sacred principles, after voting their unanimous attachment to the declared project of independence, have all sworn to posterity, to the universe, to forever renounce France, and to die rather than to live under its domination. Translation by Laurent Dubois and John Garrigus Taken from: hip-iwwnafhanidhunsreconbeitandeclnstionofidkpeasdascissthiwm