Haiti, an island nation is located in the Caribbean. It shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic and occupies three-eighths of it. The capital is Port-au-Prince and 95% of the population is Black. The official language is French and Haitian Creole is also recognized.
Christopher Columbus first set foot on the land in 1492 and claimed the island for Spain. He named the island La Isla Española, which means "the Spanish Island." That name later morphed into Hispaniola.
The island was divided into five sections, each one with a different chief in charge. Two of these sections, Jaragua and Marien, are where Haiti stands today.
Spain ruled Hispaniola until early in the 17th century when the discovery of gold and silver in New Spain (Mexico) took all of their attention.
In 1697, Spain ceded the land to France, which beefed up the sugar cane plantations and brought more slaves from Africa.
In 1791, former slave Toussaint L'Ouverture led a revolt to free the French slaves in Haiti. In 1801, he invaded Santo Domingo, which was still under Spanish rule. He won the invasion and gained control of the entire island of Hispaniola. He invited some of the former French colonists to return to their plantations but ensured that the former slaves would work as free laborers.
France was unable to send troops because of the war with Britain made it impossible to do so. In 1802, the war between France and England was ended with a peace accord signed in Amiens.
Free to send troops to Haiti, France sent 25,000 soldiers to regain Haiti, which they did in spite of the fact that yellow fever had decimated the French. They captured L'Ouverture and he was taken to France where in less than a year, he died of pneumonia in prison.
In 1803, the war with Britain was renewed, and France was soon to lose control of Haiti again.
Another former slave, Jean-Jaques Dessalines took over as leader of the revolt. He changed the name from Saint-Domingue to Haiti, which had been the Indian name. He then declared Haiti's independence from France on January 1, 1804. At that time, he also declared himself Emperor Jacques I.
His iron rule and brutality provoked unrest once again and a new insurrection began. He died in 1806 while trying to quell that revolt.
When Dessalines died, Henri Christophe, one of his generals, declared himself Henry I, King of Haiti. When King Henry I died in 1820, Jean Pierre Boyer took the reins of power. In 1843 a revolt led by Charles Rivière-Hérard overthrew Boyer. Rivière-Hérard established parliamentary rule and a constitution, the Constitution of 1843.
In 1847, General Faustin Soulouque, who was a former slave and who had fought in the 1791 rebellion, became president.
In 1849, two years into his presidency, the popular President Soulouque declared himself Emperor Faustin, and in 1859, General Fabre Geffrard deposed him.
Immediately after taking office, Geffrard cut the army from 30,000 to 15,000. By 1861, he had reopened schools and made sure roads were fixed, and he revived an old policy of inviting African-Americans to move to Haiti. In 1862, he got rid of the legislature, gave himself two plantations and a raise, and raided the army and hospital funds.
In 1957, physician and Voodoo practitioner Francois Duvalier, called "Papa Doc" by everyone, was elected president of Haiti. In 1959, he had a heart attack and his chief aide, Clement Barbot, ruled in his place, and when Papa Doc recovered, he jailed Barbot. When Barbot was released from prison, he attempted to organize an uprising, and Papa Doc had him murdered. The U.S. stopped sending aid to Haiti due to his tyranny. Numerous insurrections were attempted unsuccessfully. He then declared that he was president for life.
When he died in 1971, his son, 19-year old Jean-Claude, or "Baby Doc" took over as president for life. He accomplished quite a bit, including a small revival of tourism and the economy, but political freedom, high unemployment, and dismal living conditions caused more strife, and then another revolt started in 1985, and soon all of Haiti was in rebellion. Baby Doc had to flee to France on a U.S. Air Force jet.
U.S. President Reagan put the pressure on Baby Doc to leave Haiti.
In 2004, Haiti ousted yet another president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, at which time Baby Doc announced that he was going to return to Haiti to run for the presidency, though he didn't do it.
In 2011, after 25 years in self-exile, he did return to his home country. Two days after his return, he was arrested and charged with corruption, theft, and misappropriation of funds while he was president. He pled not guilty in 2013 and died on October 4, 2014 of a heart attack. He was 63.
Recommended Resources
Located in Petition-Ville, a district of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, the church is described in detail, along with a statement of faith and vision, as well as an overview of its missions, schedules, and calendar of programs and events.
http://www.calvaryhaiti.org/
Offering fifty hotel accommodations, the hotel is located in the Village Lamothe, near the town center of Delmas in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Its rooms and rates are discussed, and photographs of the facility are featured, along with contact information.
http://www.coconutvillahotel.com/
The online edition of the Weekly Haitian Times offers local and Haitian news and sports reporting, as well as articles on business, arts and culture, with access to the full content of the publication available by subscription.
http://www.haitiantimes.com/
With a focus on Haiti and topics of interest to Haitians, the site presents facts on Haiti, along with featured stories, event schedules, and an online store. Other resources include the text of the Kreyol Bible and the Haitian National Anthem in English and in French.
http://www.everythinghaitian.com/
HHF is headquartered in Jérémie, an isolated area in the western end of Haiti. The organization's purpose and history are defined, along with its programs, administrative structure, contacts, and support information.
http://www.haitianhealthfoundation.org/
Constructed in the late 19th century as a private home for the Sam family, who served as president of Haiti from 1896 to 1902, the property was converted to a hotel in 1935. Its history, guest accommodations, amenities, and features are highlighted, and contact information is posted.
http://www.hoteloloffson.com/
Situated in downtown Port-au-Prince, Haiti, the hotel features ninety-five rooms and suites, as well as five meeting rooms, which are highlighted here, along with the amenities and services, scheduled conferences, and online reservations.
http://www.plazahaiti.com/
TNVS is a non-profit private educational institution in Turgeau, Port-au-Prince, Haiti, whose curriculum is divided into four sections: an academic section, English for children, music, and a vocational section for youth and adults. Its educational programs, faculty and staff are featured.
http://www.thenewvictorianschool.org/
Details of the rooms and suites available from this Port-au-Prince, Haiti hotel, situated on Rue Pacot, a hill that offers views of the city, are offered, including hotel amenities and services. Reservations may be made from the web site.
http://www.pacotbreeze.com/
The mission, goals and curriculum of the Christian school in Port-au-Prince, Haiti are outlined, along with its admissions policies, tuition, fees and online application, along with a variety of downloadable documents.
http://quisqueya.org/
Society of Providence United for the Economic Development of Pétion-Ville
SOPUDEP is a grassroots social organization located in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, that provides free, accessible education to children and adults. An overview of the organization, its educational programs, scholarship, and micro-credit programs are highlighted.
http://www.sopudep.org/
Taj International Hotel of Haiti
Formerly known as the Cacique Villa Hotel, the guest lodging facility is located near Petitionville, a district of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Its location is shown in a map, and its rooms and suites are depicted in photographs. Online booking is available.
http://www.caciquevilla.com/
Founded in New York, USA, the Haitian Academy is a private, coeducational, college preparatory American school operating in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, offering an English section and a section in French, Creole and English. Its academic, athletic and boarding programs, along with its admissions policies, are discussed.
http://www.haitianacademy.net/
This Haitian resource features a history, and some brief facts about the country, a map, and information on trip planning, religion and voodoo, Haitian creole, an earthquake map, and other data of interest to tourists.
http://www.travelinghaiti.com/
