Haitian Constitution of 1801
E52192
The Haitian Constitution of 1801 was the foundational legal charter drafted under Toussaint Louverture that abolished slavery in Saint-Domingue and established broad autonomy from France, laying crucial groundwork for Haiti’s eventual independence.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Constitution de Saint-Domingue de 1801 | 1 |
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
constitution
ⓘ
foundational charter of Saint-Domingue ⓘ legal document ⓘ |
| abolished | slavery in Saint-Domingue ⓘ |
| aimedAt | preserving agricultural production ⓘ |
| alsoKnownAs |
Haitian Constitution of 1801
ⓘ
surface form:
Constitution de Saint-Domingue de 1801
|
| archivalLocation | French national archives (copies) ⓘ |
| asserted |
that all men are born, live and die free and French
ⓘ
that slavery was forever abolished ⓘ |
| confirmed | Toussaint Louverture as Governor-General for life ⓘ |
| country |
French colony of Saint-Domingue
ⓘ
surface form:
Saint-Domingue
|
| datePromulgated | 1801-07-08 ⓘ |
| declared | Roman Catholicism as the only publicly professed religion ⓘ |
| defined | citizenship in Saint-Domingue ⓘ |
| draftedBy | Toussaint Louverture ⓘ |
| draftingBody | commission appointed by Toussaint Louverture ⓘ |
| established |
Roman Catholicism as state religion
ⓘ
autonomy of Saint-Domingue within the French Empire ⓘ |
| grantedPowerTo | Toussaint Louverture ⓘ |
| guaranteed | security of persons and property ⓘ |
| historicalSignificance |
first constitution in the Caribbean to permanently abolish slavery
ⓘ
laid groundwork for Haitian independence ⓘ |
| influencedBy |
French Revolutionary principles
ⓘ
Haitian Revolution ⓘ
surface form:
the Haitian Revolution
|
| language | French ⓘ |
| ledTo | French decision to send an expedition to Saint-Domingue in 1802 ⓘ |
| legalStatus | autonomous colonial constitution ⓘ |
| legalSystemType | civil law influenced by French law ⓘ |
| limited | the rights of former slave owners to reclaim property in persons ⓘ |
| maintained | the plantation system under state control ⓘ |
| placeOfPromulgation |
French colony of Saint-Domingue
ⓘ
surface form:
Saint-Domingue
|
| precedes |
Haitian Constitution of 1805
ⓘ
Haitian Declaration of Independence ⓘ
surface form:
Haitian Declaration of Independence of 1804
|
| proclaimedBy | Toussaint Louverture ⓘ |
| prohibited | re-enslavement of any person in Saint-Domingue ⓘ |
| providedFor |
a Governor-General with extensive executive powers
ⓘ
a centralized administrative structure ⓘ a council of notables to assist the Governor-General ⓘ division of Saint-Domingue into departments and communes ⓘ local municipal administrations ⓘ |
| recognized |
equality before the law
ⓘ
freedom for all inhabitants of Saint-Domingue ⓘ |
| regulated | labor obligations on plantations ⓘ |
| relationshipToFrance |
effectively asserted broad internal autonomy
ⓘ
nominally recognized French sovereignty ⓘ |
| subjectOf | conflict with Napoleon Bonaparte ⓘ |
| territorialScope | entire colony of Saint-Domingue ⓘ |
| yearDrafted | 1801 ⓘ |
Referenced by (2)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Constitution de Saint-Domingue de 1801