PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – The first sentence of the U.S. Department of State’s Consular Information Sheet quickly sums up a widely-held perception of Haiti. It begins, “Haiti is one of the least developed and least stable countries in the Western Hemisphere.”

Even though Haiti is awash in poverty, that terse description does not begin to explain the role of Spain, France and the United States in destabilizing the small country to the South of us or its valiant struggle to gain independence. And we certainly can’t expect to read about it in our textbooks. So I offer you an abbreviated version, with the hope that you’ll be inspired to do additional reading on your own.

Before his non-discovery discovery of America, Christopher Columbus stopped in 1492 on the island of Hispaniola. Like America, it was already populated by indigenous people. In the early 17th century, the French established a presence on the island. In 1697, the countries struck a deal whereby France would control the western third of the island, now known as Haiti, and Spain would retain the eastern section, now the Dominican Republic.

With its thick forests and sugar industry, Haiti became one of France’s wealthiest colonies. But that wealth came at a high price, necessitating the importation of 500,000 African slaves. There were scattered and uncoordinated slave revolts. One of the best known early rebellions was led by Francois Macandal. His rebellion from 1751-1757 was said to have left 6,000 dead. Macandal used voodoo and African traditions to motivate his followers. When the French burned him at the stake in what is now Cap-Haitien, it was reported that the stake snapped, which only added to his mystique and reputation.

But the mother of all slave revolutions was led by Toussaint L’ouverture. Under his leadership, a half-million slaves defeated French colonists. But instead of being able to celebrate the victory, Napoleon pretended to be interested in signing a peace accord with L’ouverture and in 1802 tricked him into surrendering. But L’ouverture was betrayed and died in a French prison.

But the yearning to be free was not limited to one person, as the French would soon learn.
L’ouverture’s capture only inspired Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Henri Christophe, leaders of different military factions, to continue the struggle. Dessaline’s troops defeated the French Nov. 18, 1803 at the Battle of Vertieres. On Jan. 1, 1803, Haiti declared its independence, the second independent country in the New World, behind the 13 colonies.
Dessalines became Haiti’s first ruler.

In a move that would cripple the new nation’s economy, France refused to recognize Haiti until it paid the former colonial ruler reparations in 1833 to compensate for the losses of French planters.

For different reasons, the U.S also sought to isolate Haiti. Correspondence during that era shows that presidents and other government officials feared that the Haitian Revolution might inspire other slave uprisings, threatening its source of free labor.

Like others nations – including Spain and France – the U.S. occupied Haiti from 1915 to 1934. U.S. officials, wary of growing German influence, were said to be upset by a mob lynching of President Guillaume Sam.

The exit of the U.S. after 19 years was followed by a series of coups and the corrupt leadership of Francois Duvalier (Papa Doc) and his son, Jean-Claude Duvalier (Baby Doc). Papa Doc was known for the Tonton Macoutes, his secret police that squashed dissent and inflicted violence on his political opponents. The dictator declared himself president for life. Upon his death in 1971, he was succeeded by his 19-year-old son. The younger president for life was deposed in 1986, forcing him to flee the country.

Things seemed to take a turn for the better in 1991 when Jean-Bertrand Aristide became the first democratically elected president. True to Haiti’s political upheaval, he, too, was soon deposed in a coup. A military junta controlled by Raul Cedras ruled the country until the U.S. invaded the country, returning Aristide to power and dissolving the military. After his term, Aristide was succeeded in 1996 by Rene Preval, his prime minister. After his term, Aristide was elected again in 2001, an election marred by charges that Aristide’s Fanmi Lavalas party improperly counted votes. In 2004, Aristide was the victim of what Ron Daniels calls an “orchestrated ousted.” Orchestrated, of course, by the United States. And once again, Rene Preval became the reluctant president.

Daniels, founder of the New York-based Haiti Support Project, observed that Haiti is deeply divided along class and color lines. And its problems will not be solved until there is fundamental justice for all levels of Haitian society.