Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Essays on the history of haiti
Essays on the history of haiti
Essay about history in haiti
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Essays on the history of haiti
Haiti was once an economic power when France held claim to the Eastern Part of Hispaniola, then named St. Domingue. It was a French colony flourishing with coffee and sugar. Eventually the ideals of the French Revolution - Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity - made its way to the colonies resulting in a revolution. Haiti was the first slave-led revolution and declared its independence as a republic on January 1, 1804. After their declaration of independence, things started to make a turn for the worst. In 1934 the U.S. forces occupied Haiti to establish stability. The U.S. appointed heads of state but the real power was present in the U.S. occupiers, whereas the heads of state are just figureheads. Haiti’s economy dwindled further down when France demanded reparations of 150 million francs, which wasn’t paid off until 1947. In 65 years, Haiti had 22 heads of state.” In 1957 Francois Duvalier is elected president. He later “creates a totalitarian dictatorship and in 1964 declares himself president-for-life.” This is where Haiti’s political instability really begins. Currently, almost two years ago Haiti was struck by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake. It sparked an international urge to help aid and relieve Haiti of its catastrophe. Not only governments in various countries reached out, but independent organizations as well. This disastrous event showed how the world could come together when their neighbor is in need. But prior to this 2010 earthquake, Haiti was already facing devastation other than a natural one - societal. Haiti is drenched in poverty, corruption, and lack of education. Due to these aspects Haiti is “the least developed country in the western hemisphere”. With only one-third of suitable land... ... middle of paper ... ...to their children, otherwise citizenship must be requested from the Ministry of Interior. Yet, many birth documents sren’t recorded at birth. When it comes to applying for school or trying to open a bank account, many “citizens” cannot do so because of the lack of archiving records. Unfortunately the January earthquake has made Haiti’s recordkeeping on a higher backlog status. Also, there is a high displacement of children. “The minimum employment age for employment in industrial, agricultural, or commercial companies is 15. The minimum age for apprenticeships is 14. There is no minimum age restriction for work in domestic service and there are no legal penalties for employing children in domestic labor unless the nature or condition of domestic service harms their health, safety, or morals.” Works Cited http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2010/wha/154509.htm
The author champions the thesis that there are several factors such as the occupation of Haiti, the referendum on the foreign ownership of land, and a backward and savage culture among others that might have contributed to the country’s failure to overcome its problems and become a successful independent state, which, arguably, could be inherently solved and mitigated if good governance
Haiti is a small country in the West Indies and is the western third of the island Hispaniola (Rodman, Selden). According to Selden Rodman Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world and after the earthquake in 2010 they are way worse than they were before. The Earthquake changed a lot for everyone living there rich and poor. “Over 200,000 people died as a result of the earthquake another 2.3 lost their homes” (Haiti). This quote shows how bad the 7.0 Haiti Earthquake was that happened in January of 2010. The conditions are already awful for the people there and all the human rights violations happening are not helping. The conditions are so bad many are trying to flee their country and come to the United States even though they know that the chance of making it there is very slim (Human rights violations…). According to Richard Horton and William Summskill the United States did a survey test called the lancelet to get results from the Haitians on human rights violations happening. The survey showed us murders, women getting raped and other human violations numbers. This showed the United States that we should take action, because we had real evidence from the victims of the human rights violations in Haiti. One of the problems is that the United States does not know how to help. Haiti is so behind in everything; technology, inexperienced policemen, lacking a judicial system and their economy is very unstable. We should take action in Haiti because of these human rights violations; police and government abuse, women not getting their rights, and poor people not getting their rights.
...s and has thus paved the way for foreign intervention. With this in mind, it is important to note that the political insecurity all stems back from the solidification of colour lines within Haitian society – of which is not a new concept to Haiti. The issue of racial supremacy was first laid down by the French during colonial rule. Colonialists truly believed they were the ‘superior’ race in all form and manner and so it was generally understood amongst the them that “nothing good and civilized comes” out of their colonies (Nicholls 1993). Hence, the mulattoes, believing themselves to be more closely akin to the French than their Haitian counterparts, have enshrined and upheld this view even long after French occupation. For this reason, it is thanks to colonialism that there is a gradual erosion of Haiti’s political autonomy during the end of the nineteenth century.
Haiti is a prime example of how human needs in one area of the world are interdependent with social conditions elsewhere in the world. Haiti, for most of its history has been overwhelmed with economic mismanage and political violence. While in Haiti Dr. Farmer discovers that his patients live in poverty, filth, pain and famine. Many of the Haitian residents will die young due to diseases or violence, especially when their own doctors are inexperienced and practice medicine in less than savory clinics. How do you deliver quality healthcare to a destitute area of the world when its residence, although may be cured of their disease, will return to no clean running water, an extreme lack of quality food and basic necessitates that majority of us take for granted, no safe shelters from disease carrying insects, and no means to protect themselves from airborne and sexually transmitted diseases. Returning to the same conditions that caused the diseases in the first place, without a change in the environment, can be viewed as a never ending battle.
Framer points out that the history of Haiti begins with colonization and the slave trade. What happens to a people who are taken captive, moves thousands of miles away from their ancestral home, and forced into labor? It creates a relationship of power imbalance that leaves a people traumatized and this trauma is passed down from generation to generation. Despite winning its independence in a revolution, Haiti still carries the inequities of colonialism. Framer explains, “A wall between the rich and the poor is being built, so that poverty does not annoy the powerful and the poor are obligated to die in the silence of history”. No longer subjugated by white powers, the group that benefits is the one that can rise to the top of the social and economic ladder. Haiti shifts from having a relationship of ethnic power imbalance to a relationship of economic
Haiti as a rich history, filled with many peoples’ blood and countless hopes of freedom. With such a rich history, the country has yet to become financially stable because of their past. From the beginning of the French settlement where slaves were brought over from Africa to harvest crops, to the dictatorship of the Duvalier family. Haiti has yet to see a time when they are not in need of help. After the racial caste systems were set in place, many people would not see a truly independent country. When France finally gave independence to Haiti, they did it for a price. After they paid that price, the US occupied them because of their location and many resources. Every year in Haiti’s history as a nation and before has effects on the world today. These effects are not hidden in fine print, but blatantly found within Haiti and those who have been involved with Haiti.
In the book Red and Black in Haiti: Radicalism, Conflict, and Political Change, 1934-1957, author Matthew J. Smith discussed the radical political changes that occurred during the post-occupation years in Haiti. It focused mainly from the period of the Vincent presidency to the dictatorship of Francois Duvalier. Other important themes include the rise of Marxism and how it became vital in many socialist and communist political groups. The author stated that “the book’s central thesis is that various radical movements issued a powerful challenge to the country’s political traditions and transformed its political culture” (Smith, 3). Throughout the book, the thesis is somewhat clearly supported with various sources such as interviews and books
Buss, Terry F., and Adam Gardner. Haiti in the Balance: Why Foreign Aid Has Failed and What
Several of the problems that Haiti faces today have their genesis in the country’s colonial history. The country was like a toy being fought over by spoiled children. The first of these children arrived in the early sixteenth century in the form of Spanish settlers in search of gold. They enslaved the native Taino population and, poisoned by avarice, nearly eradicated the indigenous work force. Thousands of African slaves were brought in to take their place. Eventually, the Spanish left the island to grab their share of newly discovered treasure in other lands. Tiring of their toy, the Spanish
Being in the center of the Caribbean, the French used the island to demonstrate its military authority to the surrounding powers in North and South America. However, after a crippling revolution sparked by the French Revolution Haiti became a destitute island, with no major allies, and a debilitating debt. The 13 years of fighting had an impact, and with a new freed ex-slave population, Haiti was struggling to redefine its society. Unlike other famed and known revolutions, such as the American Revolution, Haiti’s economy greatly suffered due to a combination of: racism, lack of international partners, and a new and redefined social structure. The combination of these three areas are what would culminate into Haiti suffering greatly after its revolution.
Leinwand, Donna, Marisol Bello, and Martha T. Moore. "In Haiti, Children Are the Most Vulnerable - USATODAY.com." In Haiti, Children Are the Most Vulnerable - USATODAY.com. USA TODAY, 25 Jan. 2010. Web. 26 Apr. 2014.
On January 12th, 2010, the small Caribbean nation of Haiti was struck by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake. This was the worst earthquake to hit the region in over two centuries (BBC News). More than fifty aftershocks measuring over 4.5 followed within the next two weeks. The earthquakes left Haiti in shambles and exacerbated their conditions. There were 3.5 million people affected and over 220 thousand killed (Disasters Emergency Committee). Major damage was caused at the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince. The country was manifestly unprepared for this event and Haiti was propelled into a downward spiral. The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a devastating event which furthered the country’s social, economic, and political instability.
My expectations for the Haitian film were quite different from what I ended up experiencing. Before I viewed the film, I expected it to focus on how well the country of Haiti recovered from the earthquake it endured in 2010. Additionally, I imagined the film would have an overall positive message regarding all of the international aid Haidi received from foreign countries around the world. On the contrary, the film focused on how poorly Haiti's government decided to use the aid from the other countries. The film also illustrates the idea that the current aid policies and practices in Haiti ought to change; so the citizens can actually benefit from them. Although my prior assumptions about the Haitian film were completely wrong, because the film takes a much different stand on the issue. I still ended up learning a considerable amount about the reality of how negatively Haiti was affected by the earthquake in 2010.
Haiti has a presidential election every two years, which makes accomplishing anything in Haiti challenging. Haitian presidents have diverse views on how to get Haiti caught up with developed nations. Therefore after a presidential term ends and another president is chosen a lot of policies are removed, confusing Haitian people. Parliament has been dissolved multiple times forcing people to question the authority of Haiti since without a parliament a president is able to make any law as they see fit. Since Haiti has a hard time agreeing on a type of government, programs that help people in poverty are unable to be made in Haiti. There is not enough time for one president in Haiti to create a working system of government with no corrupt leaders consequently, Haiti’s tax money continues to be wasted on failed attempts for government. Hospitals are government owned, but since Haiti’s government keeps wasting money, they are unable to have proper medical material. Haiti has 1.3 beds for every 1,000 people, which shows that the government is unable to focus on helping the people of Haiti due to the limited amount of time each president
According to the World Happiness Report, Haiti is ranked as one of the lowest countries with freedom to make life choices; the country’s ranking is only higher than six other countries: Burundi, Syria, Angola, Sudan, Greece, and Bosnia. The current government in Haiti is a semi-presidential republic system. Therefore, the country is represented by both a president and a prime minister. Despite the citizens possessing the ability to elect a president, it has been proven several times that the citizens of Haiti have minimum amount of power. According to the Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index, Haiti is ranked among the three most corrupt countries in the world. Haiti seems to always be in a state of transition, and its government officials often use their position for personal gains. In an article published on corruption in Haiti, Marilyn B. Allien, the President of the Transparency International's national chapter-in-formation in Haiti, La Fondation héritage pour Haïti (LFHH),