The Tragic History of Haiti

Summary Statement:  Haiti has suffered 500 years of oppression at the hands of first the Spanish, then the French, then the Americans, none of whom have repented and engaged in restitution.  Apparently they think they have a right to keep the plenteous plunder gained from oppression.

Haitian history in broad strokes:

1.  1500-1700    Spanish genocide and slavery.
2.  1700-1800    French slavery.
3.  1800-1900 plus    French debt slavery.
4.  1800-2016.   American neocolonialism/ economic exploitation.

     * Two profoundly important events have forever poisoned U.S. Haiti relations;  1) The successful Haitian slave revolt (1804) set off alarm bells in the U.S.  From President Jefferson on down, Americans were deathly afraid that U.S. slaves would follow the Haitian example and engage in a massive revolt; 2) closely tied to the possibility of a U.S. slave revolt was the pervasive idea of black/African inferiority.  Haitian were black; Haitians were inferior.  They could'nt manage their own affairs so they were a dangerous factor on the world scene.  They needed a wiser, paternalistic master to directly or indirectly control the Haitian political and economic affairs.  Unfortunately, the above factors created an open door for U.S. exploitation by an American economic elite working in tandem with an Haitian elite.

     * The U.S. Marines invaded Haiti, 1915-1934; they trained an Haitian army.
     * Haitian dictators, Papa Doc and Baby Doc, used the army from 1957-1986 to dominate and exploit and rob Haitians blind.
     *The U.S. participated in an economic embargo of Haiti for several years which further devastated the Haitian economy.
     *U.S. merchants have made substantial profits trading with Haiti for over 200 years.
     * The U.S. participated in the kidnapping of a sitting Haitian president, Aristide.

The economic past haunts the economic present in Haiti.  The French slave plantation produced sugar; most sugar was exported to Europe creating an export economy.  The successful slave revolution against slave plantation did not stop the dependence on an export driven economy.  Even the Haitian leaders of the revolt, like Dessalines, wanted the plantation export oriented economic system to continue as a state run 'militarized agriculture.'  Not much  different from the French run slave plantation system.  Supposedly, without the products of the plantations, the economy would collapse.

Even today, 200 years after the Haitian revolution, the Haitian economy is still too much of an export-import driven economy.  Today, Haiti imports 50 percent of its food.  The U.S. benefits from Haiti's economic dependence.