Haitian Declaration of Independence

E52012

The Haitian Declaration of Independence is the 1804 document by which Haiti proclaimed itself a free and sovereign nation, marking the first successful slave revolt in history and the creation of the first Black republic.


Statements (48)
Predicate Object
instanceOf declaration of independence
founding document
historical document
alsoKnownAs Act of Independence of Haiti
Acte de l’Indépendance d’Haïti
archivalLocation Archives nationales d’Haïti
British National Archives (copy)
associatedLeader Alexandre Pétion
Henri Christophe
Jean-Jacques Dessalines
continent North America
countryDeclaredIndependent Haiti
date 1804-01-01
declaredIndependenceFrom France
declares end of slavery in Haiti
freedom and sovereignty of the Haitian people
permanent break with France
historicalSignificance first declaration of independence by a post-slavery Black-led state
first successful slave revolt leading to a sovereign state
key document in Atlantic revolutionary era
ideologicalContext Black emancipation
anti-slavery movement
anticolonialism
influenced 19th-century anticolonial movements
Black liberation thought in the Americas
influencedBy Enlightenment ideals
French Revolution
language French
legalStatus foundational constitutional document of Haiti
mentions crimes of French colonialism
placeOfProclamation Gonaïves
Saint-Domingue
politicalEffect abolition of French colonial rule in Saint-Domingue
creation of the first Black republic
end of slavery in Haiti
presentDayLocation Haiti
principalAuthor Louis Boisrond-Tonnerre
region Caribbean
relatedEvent proclamation of Jean-Jacques Dessalines as Governor-General for life
subsequent proclamation of Dessalines as Emperor Jacques I
resultOf Haitian Revolution
slave revolt in Saint-Domingue
signedBy Jean-Jacques Dessalines
signedOnBehalfOf the Haitian people
subject freedom from slavery
national sovereignty
racial equality
year 1804

Referenced by (6)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Haitian Declaration of Independence ("Acte de l’Indépendance d’Haïti")
Haitian Declaration of Independence ("Act of Independence of Haiti")
alsoKnownAs
Haitian Revolution ("Haitian Declaration of Independence of 1804")
legalOutcome
Jean-Jacques Dessalines
notableWork
Haitian Constitution of 1801 ("Haitian Declaration of Independence of 1804")
precedes
Haitian Revolution
result

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