Declaration
Haitian Declaration of Independence, 1804
Jean-Jacques Dessalines proclaimed Haitian independence from France at Gonaïves on 1 January 1804, following the Haitian Revolution, with assembled generals swearing to renounce France forever.
What happened
At the headquarters of Gonaïves on 1 January 1804, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, commander in chief of the Haitian forces, read a declaration drafted by his secretary Louis Boisrond-Tonnerre. The declaration recorded the resolution "to render the country independent, and to enjoy the liberty consecrated by the blood of the people of this island," with the assembled generals having "sworn before eternity and before the entire universe to forever renounce France and to die rather than live under its domination," concluding with a call to "swear, finally, to pursue forever the traitors and enemies of your independence."[1]
Sources for this page
Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.
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1.
Claim: At Gonaïves on 1 January 1804, Jean-Jacques Dessalines read a declaration, drafted by Louis Boisrond-Tonnerre, recording the resolution "to render the country independent, and to enjoy the liberty consecrated by the blood of the people of this island," with the assembled generals having "sworn before eternity and before the entire universe to forever renounce France and to die rather than live under its domination," and concluding with a call to "swear, finally, to pursue forever the traitors and enemies of your independence."
- Boisrond-Tonnerre, Louis and Dessalines, Jean-Jacques, The Haitian Declaration of Independence (January 1, 1804) (Encyclopedia Virginia, 1 January 1804) link, declaration text. Source record