The Structure of the New Hatian Governance

The structure of the new Haitian governance was established in the Constitution of 1801, the Haitian Declaration of Independence, and the 1805 Constitution of Haiti which was brought forward by Governor General Toussaint Louverture and later governor Jacques-Jean Dessalines as an outline for a dictatorial and tyrannical governmental structure of Haiti that lacked in many of the freedoms that would be created in the French First Republic. Although the Haitian constitutions made way for a representative legal body, they were not established with many specific powers and left most of the control to the dictator. Louverture ended slavery and promoted the idea of equality, but did not establish a basis for a stable republic, and instead used the term “freedom” in reference to freedom from slavery and not of popular sovereignty or natural rights. The French Constitution of 1793 and its preface, the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizens” can be compared as a standard in which freedom was defined differently and not simply relating to equality and the end of slavery.

The Constitution of 1801 and of 1805 establishes the government of Haiti as an imperial dictatorship with the emperor as the sole authority. The Constitution of 1801 establishes Toussaint-Louverture as the leader of Haiti for the remainder of his life, which already is providing for a centralized autocratic society. Louverture’s successor after his death is to be determined by him, which guarantees groundwork for continued dictatorship . He had the reserve power to make any changes to the constitution that he deemed necessary. The governor of Haiti does not only have absolute control over succession and policy making, but is also the chief commander of t...

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...w their new government as a free society in comparison to their past. But when compared to the newly formed French Republic, Haiti was a military dictatorship in which the autocrat had almost complete control and power over all government affairs. Although there was a system for a legislative body and a form of representation, there was no true power given to the people and the idea of popular sovereignty was not seen in Haiti. Basic human rights and liberties that were specifically provided in the French Constitution were not provided in Haiti’s founding documents, and in some cases, had clauses that were completely contrary to French republican ideals. Although there is little doubt that the most Haitian people enjoy their dictatorship over enslavement, it must still be noted that the governance was established with the possibility of government abuse and tyranny.