solidified the two parts of the island into one political unit. This would lessen the chances of
European forces beginning an invasion in the east and regaining territorial control.
Since 1804, two risks had concerned Haitian leaders: the general fear of invasion by aEuropean power and the specific threat concerning a French expedition to take back what it
viewed as a run-away colony. Neither Pétion nor Christophe had been successful in achieving
the recognition of independence which would have moved Haiti in the direction of guaranteed
sovereignty. According to historian David Nicholls, Boyer, like previous leaders, may have
briefly entertained the idea of Haiti being a French protectorate, both to secure his own power
and to protect Haiti from the control of other European nations.^56 Knowing how fiercely this
would be resisted, however, by the general populace and by the government’s elite alike, he
moved toward securing recognition in the early years of his regime. A specific treaty to this
effect, along with the political and geographical unity of the island, came to be viewed as an
indispensable measure in the quest for national viability. Not only was Haiti’s very political
existence at stake, but other European nations appeared reluctant to enter into commercial and
diplomatic relations with Haiti until France had formally granted such recognition. Negotiations
led to a French royal ordinance in 1825 which stipulated recognition in exchange for 150 million
francs and trade advantages for France. Although this treaty was accepted, Boyer soon pursued
an additional series of negotiations which would reduce the amount of the indemnity to 90
million francs.^57 Both governments agreed to this amount and ratified a new treaty in 1838.
This long-awaited negotiation was carefully detailed and debated in journals of theperiod. Initially, the results of the agreement appeared to follow expectations, as Denmark,
(^56) Nicholls 65.
(^57) Most sources cite this figure, although L’Union editors refer to the figure as 60 million. Aristide’s administration
estimated the present-day equivalent at approximately 22 billion US dollars when seeking reparations from France
in 2004.