The Structure of the New Hatian Governance Essay

The Haitian Declaration of Independence describes the efforts of the revolutionary generals as a fight against the tyranny of France pointing out that not enough has been done to provide happiness to the people. Although it may not seem obvious for those recently freed from slavery and seeking independence, one tyrannical government was traded for a dictatorship will full potential to become a tyranny because of the lack of protections provided in the Haitian constitutions. Both the 1801 and 1805 Constitutions outlined a basis for a legislative body to represent the districts and the people, however, neither body is given specific enumerated powers unlike that of the emperor. The 1801 Constitution provides the legislature with more of a regulatory role that serves to maintain tax collection or to voice opinions on laws that relate to the functioning of their districts. The constitution of 1805 did not even include a legislative body in the constitutional text, but instead included a system of tribunals for each of the six military districts. The emperor assumes complete control over the way each tribunal is run. The tribunal’s primary responsibilities are for all civil concerns of their districts. The tribunals have no say in the emperor’s decisions and are only there for management purposes. The Haitian Constitutions greatly limited the freedoms of the