1816, Jan.

1816, Jan. 1 (The Hypocrisy of Pétion’s Public Speeches): The Northern government asserted that Pétion’s recent public declarations against the French were a “vile mask” intended to hide his true intentions. They argued that Pétion only spoke of independence when he felt his popularity was failing or when his “intrigues” with French agents were on the verge of being exposed. The narrative claims that Pétion had a natural “repugnance” for the word independence and only used it when forced by “imperious circumstances.” This critique was meant to characterize the Southern leader as a “monster” of duplicity who would eventually abandon his followers when affairs became desperate. Such attacks were designed to weaken Pétion’s support among the military and the common citizens of the South.