History

Haitian History

Early History

Christopher Columbus Source: noirg.org

Haiti was discovered by Christopher Columbus in December 1492. It was native to the Arawak tribe who knew the land as Haiti. The Spaniards called it Hispaniola which means Little Spain (pbs.org). The Spanish claimed the whole island but mostly settled in the East of it. The Spaniards would force the natives to do hard labor until they were nearly extinct by the harsh conditions & foreign disease.

Hispaniola Map (Portuguese) by Source: forum.paradoxplaza.com

In the 16^th century, the Spaniards shifted their focus towards Mexico. Haiti also lacked resources which led to its neglect.  By the 17^th century, the French took over the Western part of the island from Spain and named it, Saint Domingue. The French caused the island to become rich due to sugar, coffee, cotton, indigo, and cocoa exports (localhistories.org). since most of the natives were wiped out, African slaves were imported to replace them and work on the plantations.

Slave Revolution

 Financially, Saint Domingue was doing fine due to the productivity of the slaves. The conditions for the slaves was harsh, brutal, and inhumane. This led to slaves fleeing their plantations when the opportunity arose. Over time, the escaped slaves banded together and called themselves the Maroons (pbs.org). they would hide in the forests and mountains until their numbers grew. Once they became big enough, they planned hit-and-runs, raids, and attacks. On the French colonists. The language of creole was also formed by the slaves to communicate and support each other.

Toussaint Louverture Source:csmsmagazine.org

Toussaint L’Ouverture was the rebel leader of the slave rebels. He used guerrilla warfare that quelled the French out of the island (pbs.org). he governed Haiti from 1791 to 1802. He was forced to surrender to Napoleon when he was surrounded by the French army. Napoleon promised he wouldn’t enslave people, but broke that promise when he enslaved Martinique, which is a neighboring country. Since Toussaint died a year later after his capture, Jean-Jacques Dessalines took over command of his army. They would fight the French again. Napoleon lost control of the island when he had to withdraw his troops to fight the British. In 1804, the name of Saint Domigue was changed back to Haiti which means “mountainous” (pbs.org). Haiti declared its independence and Dessalines was the first leader to rule it. This made Haiti the 1^st free republic.

Translation- The Founder of the Independence of Haiti Source:  commons.wikimedia.org

Modern History After Independence

          In 1806, Dessalines was assassinated. The Spanish would take control of the eastern half of the island, that is now known as the Dominican Republic (localhistories.org). Most of Haiti’s rule since has been politically unstable. Many leaders were overthrown. The worst of the leaders these dictators, Francois Duvalier (Papa Doc) in 1957 and his son Jean Claude Duvalier (Baby Doc) in 1971. They brutally ruled Haiti with their private paramilitary troops called the Tonton Macoutes or boogeymen which was heavily influenced by voodoo (Pbs.org). Papa Doc and his son tainted the government with corruption, drugs, violence, extortion, and embezzlement. The unrest and desperation of the Haitian people caused the dictatorship to flee in 1986.

PapaDoc and TonTons Macoutes by www.markuswiener.com

          Haiti’s economy was impacted by the their rule. Political instability continued under the rule of President Aristide in 1990 (localhistories.org). Due to corruption and violence, he was overthrown and exiled twice. Preval became the next president and governed until 2011. The current president is now Michel Martelly.

Earthquake of 2010

          On January 12, 2010, a massive earthquake with a rating of 7.0 struck Haiti. More than 300,000 people were killed and 1.5 million  were displaced. About 3000,000 were injured. To this day economically and physically, Haiti is still trying to rebuild after suffering the effects (cnn.com).

Presidential Palace Aftermath by news.bbc.co.uk

     

Works Cited

"Haiti Earthquake Fast Facts." CNN. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2016. <http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/12/world/haiti-earthquake-fast-facts/>.

"A SHORT HISTORY OF HAITI." A Brief History of Haiti. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2016. <http://www.localhistories.org/haiti.html>.

Toro, Natasha Del. "Haiti: Belo's Song of Peace." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2016. <http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/rough/2007/12/haiti_belos_sonlinks.html>.