The Rising Son; or, the Antecedents and Advancement of the Colored RaceBrown, William Wells
History
The Rising Son; or, the Antecedents and Advancement of the Colored Race
Brown, William Wells
African Americans -- Biography; African Americans -- History; Black race; Slavery -- United States
Christophe determined that the other should be a monarchy, surrounded
by all the insignia of supreme power, and sustained by an hereditary
nobility, who, holding their civil and military privileges from the
crown, would be props to the throne, and maintain industry and order
among the subjects of the government. The Republic was a government
of the mulattoes, and had been placed under the rule of a mulatto
president. The monarchy was to be essentially and throughout, a
dominion of the pure blacks, between whom and the mulattoes it was
alleged there was such diversity of interest and personal feeling that
no common sympathy could exist between them.
In pursuance of this new policy, Christophe’s Council of State was
convoked, and commenced its labors to modify the constitution of
February, 1807, in order to make it conformable to the new ambition
of Christophe. With this council there had been associated the
principal generals of the army and several private citizens, who were
sufficiently in the favor of Christophe to be ranked among those
willing to do him honor. The labors of this council were brief, and
upon the 20th of March, 1811, the session was closed by the adoption
of a new form of government. The imperial constitution of 1805 was
modified to form an hereditary monarchy in the North, and to place the
crown of Hayti upon Christophe, under the title of Henry the First.
In their announcement to the world of this new organization of the
government, the Council declared that the constitution which had been
framed in the year 1807, imperfect as it was, had been adapted to the
circumstances of the country at that epoch, but that the favorable
moment had arrived to perfect their work, and establish a permanent
form of government, suited to the nature and condition of the people
over which it was to bear rule.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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