Under French rule, Haiti's abundant sugar plantations made it perhaps the richest colony of the Caribbean. The slave rebellion began about 1790 and a leader soon emerged: Toussaint L'Overture. After years of fierce fighting, L'Overture was captured by Napoleon's forces and died in France.The rebellion lived on, and Napoleon's mighty forces were defeated. Haiti declared itself a nation on Jan. 1, 1804. For years to come, however, Haiti would pay reparations to France.The loss of Haiti's riches and strategic location was part of Napoleon's decision to sell the Louisiana Purchase, which doubled the size of the United States.In America, where blacks were still seeking freedom, there was pride and wonder that Haitians had seized their destiny. This left an indelible imprint on African-American culture.
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Haiti's history as first black republic creates a special bond with many African-Americ... - 3 views
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The history that is suggested here is very important. There's a lot of "looking the other way" racism in the U.S. response to the revolution that isn't mentioned here, too.
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America occupied Haiti from 1915 until 1934, then supported a series of dictators until 1990. Today, Haitian refugees are treated differently than those from other nations, which many believe is partially due to race.
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I've been reading this wondering when America's more active role in Haiti would be mentioned. I pretty sure that the CIA was involved in the 1994 coup and that our Marines were involved in Aristede's kidnapping in 2004.
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