Historical Context
Brief Overview of Haiti's History
It is important to know the overview of Haiti's history to connect how it is today. The history of how Haiti was founded and became a country stems back to 1492. Christopher Columbus found the land, which is now known as Hispaniola (the island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic). In 1625-97, the French Colonization happened and the French settlers established a colony named present-day Haiti Saint-Domingue. Haiti had no control over their own country because France was the one who was in power. In 1697, Spain gave up power and territory. Haiti later became the richest colony in the 18th century, making half of the sugar and coffee bought throughout Europe.
The Haitian Revolution began in 1791-1804 which destroyed much of Haiti’s agricultural resources and infrastructure. The Haitian Revolution continued for more than a decade and in 1804, Jean-Jacques Dessalines became the Governor-General of Haiti (the picture shown on the left). He was assassinated two years later and on January 1st, 1804, Haiti became the first black Caribbean country to gain independence from the United States and Europe.
The start of Haiti’s corrupt government started when Francois Duvalier, also known as Papa Doc, was elected president in 1957. He turned Haiti's government into a dictatorship and the people of Haiti felt that they could not be a voice for their own country because of Duvalier’s extreme dictatorship. In 1971, Duvalier died and his 19-year-old son, Jean-Claude Duvalier, also known as Baby Doc, replaced him as president. However, in 1986, he fled Haiti and was replaced by Lieutenant-General Henri Namphy leaving Haiti with no sense of governance.
From 2004-2008, Haiti faced many natural disasters that killed at least 3,000 people and left 250,000 Haitians homeless. On January 1st, 2010, “a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Port-au-Prince” and international donors from all around the world raised collectively 5.3 billion dollars to help rebuild Haiti, but “many failed to meet their commitments.” The money was to help rebuild Haiti's infrastructure and provide people with the necessities they need.
Main Idea
Haiti is the first black Caribbean country to gain independence from the United States and Europe. The main issue is how the country in itself became one of the poorest countries in Latin America and the Caribbean world and how it led to gang violence and a chaotic government. The insecurity of the people living in Haiti has made the people feel unsafe and not have comfortable living conditions.