1816, January (The Indissoluble Bond of King Christophe and People): In the closing sections of the anniversary documents, the Council of State reaffirmed th…
1816, January (The Indissoluble Bond of King Christophe and People): In the closing sections of the anniversary documents, the Council of State reaffirmed that the King’s authority was the “cement of union” that held the Haytian nation together against its enemies. They argued that the King’s “wakeful nights” spent planning the defense of the realm were the reason the citizens could enjoy “peaceable days” in their fields. The nobility declared that any attempt by foreign powers to separate the people from their monarch would be as futile as trying to “separate the shadow from the body.” This imagery was used to project an aura of total national unity to the European world. The Council emphasized that the King was not a tyrant, but the “first citizen” whose interests were identical to those of the humblest laborer.