Pétion, leaning on crutches, is received at the Senate house and takes his oath as president of Haiti on the original manuscript of the Constitution.

And at that instant, extending his right hand over the original manuscript of the new Constitution, Pétion took the following oath:

I swear to fulfill faithfully the office of President of Haïti, and to maintain the Constitution with all my power.

Then he added:

“Let the arms entrusted to the people for the defense of its liberty be turned against my breast, if ever I conceived the audacious and impious project of attacking its rights; if ever I forgot that it is after having contributed to put to death a tyrant, whose existence was a wrong of nature, that it is after having contributed to proscribe another who, by his mad ambition, kindled among us the fire of civil war, that I see myself raised to the presidency of Haïti!”