With these words, Louverture announced his emergence as an independent political force in Saint-Domingue. He issued the proclamation on August 29, 1793, the very day Léger Félicité Sonthonax abolished slavery throughout the Northern Province. Although he was calling for liberty, he was not announcing his alliance with the Republic. Instead, he was positioning himself against Sonthonax as the true defender of liberty in Saint-Domingue.

Dubois, Laurent, Avengers of the New World_ …, loc. 5696