Original Haiti Declaration of Independence Discovered

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Depi 20 Janvye 1804, Dessalines voye di British yo ke Haiti endepandan...

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Dessaline voye-l by King Georges III, men se Queen Elizabeth II ki resi jwennn nouvel la 206 zan pli ta...

Genyen wi laaaa...

Anyway, back to the news

The writes: There is no prouder moment in Haiti's history than Jan. 1, 1804, when a band of statesmen-warriors declared independence from France, casting off colonialism and slavery to become the world's first black republic. They proclaimed their freedom boldly -- "we must live independent or die," they wrote -- but for decades, Haiti lacked its own official copy of those words. Its existed only in handwritten duplicate or in newspapers. Until now.

Who Made The Discovery?

Her name is , a 26 year old graduate student at , 26-year-old Canadian native who became interested in Haiti in 2004 as an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto.

Julia was doing research for her dissertation on the early days of Haitian independence when she stumbled upon Haiti's founding document and a letter written by himself.

writes: The Declaration was attached to a letter sent on 20 January 1804 by , first ruler and Governor-General of the Republic of Haiti, to Sir George Nugent, Lieutenant-Governor of Jamaica.

Commenting on the find, Oliver Morley, Acting Chief Executive at The National Archives, said: 'It's incredible that the long search for this important document should finally end at The National Archives.

This declaration, sent to the British Government by Haiti's first independent leader, is of great historical importance to both Haiti and the British people, and provides unique insight into the first successful slave rebellion of modern times.'

Here are some interesting pages if you want to read up on this:

• - British National Archives
• - Duke University

- a three part video, very interesting to watch...

- English translation of the Haitian Declaration of Independence
- The historical events that led to Haiti's independence

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Question:

What you think this discovery will mean for the Republic of Haiti?

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