My Crash Course on Haiti History

Most of Haiti's history is a broken record of government corruption, revolts and coups, etc. The average farmer in the mountains probably wasn't affected much, it just how things are. However there are a few sparks of interest that are peculiar to the place called Haiti. The first Black US President helping out the First Black Republic was a concept that just popped into my head yesterday. It was the most successful slave revolt. In value Louisiana and Canada were sacrificed by France in favor of that little colony that became Haiti. Slave generals outmaneuvered Napoleon's troops, kicked off the French and conquered the whole island in a few short years. What happened. Cursed? (just as a question)
The thing about Haiti is that it is a ongoing problem that is swept under the rug because their is no quick easy fix. Do we even support the Church enough there when considering our own responsibilities? Hopefully with the current situation that now can be the time to really see what can be done to help. Here is a brief overview for those that want to be in the know:

CRASH COURSE ON HAITI

Even though I do not seem to have any family left in Haiti, I have always taken an interest in its colorful history, culture and hopelessness. My grandfather died in 1989, with my father in Montreal as his only legitimate offspring. For those that haven’t studied Haiti’s history here is a crash course.

Of course we will mention that the Indians managed to work there way across the Bering Strait down N. America into S. America, and a few island hoped from there north unto the island of Hispaniola.
Christopher Columbus and his brother’s and sons set up the first settlements on the Island. The neighboring country of Dominican Republic’s capital is the America’s oldest European city(1496). The Spanish enslaved the Indians digging for gold, but let the island go to seed looking for greener pastures in Cuba, Mexico, and Peru. French pirates set up camp in the mountainous western part of the island preying on Spanish shipping(1600‘s). Eventually France would lay a claim on the area (1665)and start shipping slaves from Africa to cultivate sugar, coffee, and indigo.
The early sugar industry was a brutal trade. There was enough profit to work the land year round in sugar and import foodstuff. They could literally work their slaves to death and afford to buy fresh stock. Haiti called Saint-Domingue was the most valuable colony in the world 1789 before the revolution because of its sugar production. The slaves were in general from Africa or only a generation away due to the high death rate. French Sugar slavery made the American cotton slavery look mild in comparison. Except for the fact that the slaves came from all over Africa they largely kept a lot of their customs and culture. The Africanized French brought them all together. The French had to resort to harsh measures to keep their slaves under subjection, because they were not always grown up into the system. Large groups would hide up in the mountains and raid the plantations from time to time. They were the maroons.
A peculiar law allowing freedom to mixed black and white children (mulattoes) made way for a caste system that would plague black and whites alike. Mulattoes became rich and powerful, but were not equal with whites, but could own black slaves. Alexander Dumas the famous author was one of these. When the French Revolution toppled the French king and proclaimed all men equal it made an uneasy situation in Haiti. Whites and mulattoes did not want the slaves to be freed.
Finally the powder keg exploded in 1791. The slaves revolted against their masters. Too many interest groups in to small an area all pulling in opposite directions. The slaves and the maroons took advantage of the situation and started the largest and most successful slave revolt in history of the Americas. From 1791 till independence in 1804, they are the second oldest republic in the Americas. Toussaint, Dessalines, Christophe, and Petion became legends through this struggle. Christophe set up a kingdom 1807-1820 in the north side of the country and reestablished plantations and built a large palace and the citadel to keep the French at bay.
However nobody around wanted anything to do with Haiti, as most territories had slaves or were under European administration that did not want to talk about revolution. The isolation and France’s demands for compensation payments started Haiti in a downward spiral of debt, violence, and hopelessness. They invaded the DR a couple of times and so to this day they haven’t won too many brownie points with their close neighbor.
One president after another would get in office for the spoils. Mulattoes had the land, money, and power. Whites had got kicked off the island during the revolution. The Blacks usually dominated the army. So back and forth between army and gentry would compete for office. The U.S. set up a bunch of Banana Republics around the turn of the century. They encouraged and set up certain dictators to protect US interests across Central America. In the name of controlling unrest they would send in Marines to police one country after the next. Haiti’s turn was 1915-1934. The reason was to help them manage there debt and keep Europe creditors from taking over. Changes were made and infrastructure was reinforced and propped up for awhile.
They eventually pulled out and put a country doctor into office (1957-71). They thought he would dance to their fiddle, but alas he was Papa Doc, a wily old fox, that stomped out all opposition and made Haiti his personal empire. His family made a bundle and his son Baby Doc took over. He was a play boy and married a beauty that knew how to spend money. In the end he lost his country, wife, and money. Today he lives on charity in France, so they say.
After that it was back to regular chaos. When Doc was in they had Tonton Macoutes, a secret police to enforce political solidarity with fear. Now in the vacuum returned the military, etc. all reaching for power in a desperate situation. The only money to be made is in the government. US supported who they thought could provide stability, but in the end it remained kind of shaky and they allowed their man to get kicked out. Enough said fill in the lines with wikipedia.
Foreign involvement has affected Haiti in a number of ways. Monetary aid goes into the pockets of the rich. The debt hangs over the state budget like a weight tied to your neck while swimming. They used to have tourism, but right in the beginning of the AIDS scare they blamed Haiti, scaring away their so-called tourists. Truth be known it was American men that introduced it into the country. The other high impact foreign induced fiasco is when the US ordered all Haitian pigs to be slaughtered because of some disease threat. The pig was a form of exchange for the poor people. It was like watching their bank account being sliced in half. They of course tried to replace the pig with an American breed, that couldn't hold up to the Haitian environment. More recently is the “free” rice given to Haiti from US. It undermines the Haitian farmers ability to market their own goods. They cannot compete with free food. A lot of their rice farmers have to move to Port to get in the rice line to now feed their own families. So goes when big brother has to decide policy with the other little brothers.
Then we mention the erosion problem. Trees cut down for cooking charcoal. Bare hills. Hillside farming. Mudslides. Questions?
I believe there is an over population problem in Haiti. I am not trying to be cruel considering what is happening now, hear me out. Imagine Europe if there was no new world. People have migrated back and forth with population expansions. That is how Europe and many other places were settled. It was in waves of people looking for new places to hunt and farm to feed their families. Haiti was on the west end with no where to send its people to better themselves. They went to the DR to work their low income job bracket. Even then the Dominicans killed up to 30,000 of them in a purge in the 1930’s. If Haitians come to the states on boats they are sent back, because their leader isn’t a communist. there is just no place for them to go. A number live in the US, Canada, and France and provide a main source of income for many back in Haiti, but not enough are allowed to leave. I wonder why they don’t start a resettlement program to settle French Guyana in S. America. It is an empty country that speaks Creole and already has a sizable Haitian community that forms a high percentage of the country. Since this is just a rough, fast sketch , fill in the cracks with some good reading.