Burns Library has one of the many letters Louverture wrote to French powers as he attempted to ease their anxieties attached to the situation in Saint Domingue. Addressed to “Citizen Pascal in Paris”, this letter, dated the 28th of March, 1799, reassures its reader that liberty thrives in Saint Domingue, and that Louverture remains dedicated to the French governing body (find image and translation below). There remains an uncertainty as to whether or not Citizen Pascal was an actual person, or rather a name meant to encompass the people of Paris. Louverture claims that any economic struggles that the people of Saint Domingue are facing do not have to do with infertile soil on the island, but rather can be attributed to European and American reluctance to enter the ports of Saint Domingue which “leave the crops without a market.” This letter specifically shows the political maneuvering Louverture had undertaken towards the end of the Revolution as he attempted to appease the French while simultaneously arguing that the people of Saint Domingue were self-sufficient. There are also hints towards the writing of a constitution, which was penned soon after in 1801.
Alaurea Holder, Burns Library Reading Room Assistant & PhD student in the History Department
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