Compare similarities and differences between the Haitian and United States Constitutions

*The Haitian Constitution found on pages 191-196*

The United States Constitution was established in 1787 and the Haitian Constitution was established about 20 years after in 1805. The organization of the two are somewhat the same, but the United States Constitution has the defined sections for different government bodies in the articles and then the ammendments whereas the Haitian Constitution has four main sections named Preliminary Declaration, About the Empire, On Religion, and General Measure with many articles underneath each. In general, the Haitian Constitution seems to focus much more on the present and much less on the plans for the future of the nation by naming many peoples current roles. One interesting and specific example of the unique facets of the Haitian Constitution is Article 8 under Preliminary Declaration. This states “In cases of bankruptcy or business failure, Haitian citizenship is suspended” (Page 192). This is surprising because in the United States today, it is often that one hears of a person or business going into bankruptcy and it was surprising to see it mentioned and the punishment being so harsh. The Haitian Constitution also differs from the United States because it directly states in article 2 of Preliminary Declaration “Slavery is abolished forever” (Page 192). In general, there seems to be establishment of more than just government with various other random little things thrown in such as the national colors as a part of the founding document.