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Description and Holding Information
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1801, Constitution of Toussaint Louverture
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Constitution de la colonie française de Saint-Domingue du 17 Août 1801, (29 Thermidor an 9): Toussiant Louverture, 12p, Paris, Impr. du Dépôt des
Lois, 1801. (This constitution was very much a per-sonal composition and achievement of Toussaint Louverture; the distillation of his aspirations for
the island community, which he still proclaims to be a loyal colony of the “French Empire.” Title II abolishes slavery and enshrines universal male
suffrage. Title II enshrines Catholicisim as the state religion. Title IV is devoted to strengthening public morals, with divorce being forbidden. Title V
proclaims both indi-vidual personal liberty and the right of private property. Title VI seeks to return the population to the cultivation of the
land, which Louverture considered the sole real economic hope for the colony’s future. Only in Titles VII to XII does he address governance, providing
for: a Governor {himself on an interim basis}; a Central Assembly {with delegates elected from districts}, municipal councils, a judiciary, and an army.
The entire document is imbued with a democratic spirit amenable to the republican era in France, that was, however, even then being supplanted by the
Napoleonic imperium. For a unique contemporary view of this historic document and the circumstances surrounding its adoption, see Observations du
Général du Génie Vincent)
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Title:
Constitution de la colonie française de Saint-Domingue : du 17 août 1801, (29 thermidor an 9.).
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OCLC Number:
819761536
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Available Volumes
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| Name | Fiche Count | Online | Paper Backup |
| Volume 1 | | Yes | No |
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