1802 (The Assembly of Colonists and General Leclerc): As the initial Haytian movements for liberty spread alarm among the French, General Leclerc convened an…

1802 (The Assembly of Colonists and General Leclerc): As the initial Haytian movements for liberty spread alarm among the French, General Leclerc convened an extraordinary assembly of the colonists to adopt measures for restoring order. The manifesto records that these colonists did not relax their “atrocious principles” in the face of danger. They unanimously replied with the ultimatum: “No slavery, no colony.” King Henry Christophe notes that he was a member of this very council and unsuccessfully raised his voice to stop the “completion of the ruin” of his fellow-countrymen. The stubbornness of the colonists is portrayed as the catalyst that forced the Haytian people to choose between total extermination or a war to the death. This firsthand account serves to prove that the French authorities were never interested in a peaceful or free Hayti.