Grad student finds rare original print of Haiti Independence Declaration

Student finds rare Haiti founding document print

DURHAM, N.C. — A Duke University graduate student has found what historians say is a rare original print of Haiti’s Declaration of Independence.

The university said Thursday that 26-year-old history student Julia Gaffield discovered the yellowing document in February while combing through papers in Great Britain’s National Archives in London.

Haiti’s revolutionary leaders issued the declaration on Jan. 1, 1804, after they fought to overthrow French colonial rule and slavery, creating the world’s first black republic.

The director-general of Haiti’s National Archives, Wilfrid Bertrand, said that if the document proves to be authentic, he would like to see it returned to Haiti.