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HAITI IN CRISIS

A Nation Crippled by Foreign Intervention

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Background

-- Located in Caribbean, 1/3of the island of Hispanola

-- 27,750 km2 landarea(slightly smaller thanMaryland-- Rough, mountainousterrain

-- Population : 9,719,932(July 2011 estimate)-- Approx. 80% RomanCatholic (half of all Haitianspractice some form ofvoodoo).-- French and Creole asofficial languages

-- Unemployment rate:

40.6%-- 80% living below the

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Early History

French colony of St. Domingueestablished in 1697 Extremely profitable

Extensive producer of sugar, coffee,indigo Largely the product of slaves imported from

Africa

Haitian Revolution 1791-1804

Large-scale slave revolt led by ToussaintLOverture and Jean-JacquesDessalines

Began during the French Revolution

More than 50,000 French troops died fromcombat and disease

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Troubled From the Start

Upon gaining sovereignty, Haiti already dealt withsevere debt, corrupt leadership, and no foreignsupport While the United States began its sovereign career with

the highest percentage of college graduates of anycountry in the world, Haiti began its life with most peopleilliterate1

Indemnities to France

150,000,000 francs owed to France Forced to give French merchants a 50% decrease on all

import/export duties

Recognition refused by most nations Not formally recognized by United States until 1862

Fear of the impact of recognizing a nation of former slaves on theAmerican slave institution.

1 Sidney W. Mintz, Can Haiti Change?, Foreign Affairs74, no. 1 (January-February 1995): 80,http://www.jstor.org/stable/20047020 (accessed November 27, 2011).

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Turbulent Leadership

President Jean-Pierre Boyer ousted in a coup in1843

Served for 25 years

Presidency for life abolished. Succeeded by a series of corrupt, inefficient leaders

Early 1900s

Haitian coup against President Antoine Simon in1910

Failure to stabilize economy through foreign negotiations

1911-1915, six presidents ousted by violent coups

Revolutionaries careful not to attract international attention

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First U.S. Intervention, 1915-1934

United States, France, and Great Britain enter Haiti to restorepolitical order in 1914 Achieved fairly quickly, France and GB withdraw

1915 presidential election Dr. Bobo, Haitian revolutionary vs. Senator Sudre Dartiguenave

U.S. interferes with election process Marines stationed at polls, all voters required to have card signed by

Dartiguenave

Dartiguenave as a puppet leader Sometimes consulted on issues, but had very little influence, if any at

all Haitian Congress opposed to American takeover of government

1915 treaty allows the U.S. takeover of Haitian constabulary,finances, and public services

President coerced to sign the treaty, Congress refuses

U.S. threatens to act with violence if not passed U.S. rigged the Senate vote, treaty passed

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U.S. Fails to Meet Goals in Haiti

Public education suffers

Largely ignored by U.S. appointed Financial Adviser

Approx. 36,000 children in school out of population of

2,500,000 Schoolteacher salary equivalent to $6/month

60% of the salary of a private gendamerie

U.S. businesses gain control of Haitian assetsRoger L. Farnham, VP of National City Bank of New

York, given control of the Banque NationaledHati,Haitis only banking institution

U.S. businesses given a monopoly over the Haitian

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Human and Civil RightsViolations

Use of forced labor to build roads andother infrastructure

Numerous cases of prison abuses andother human rights violations on behalf ofU.S. Marines

Opponents of U.S. occupation jailedwithout trial or due process of law Case of Haitian journalist Joseph Jolibois

Members of Congress opposed to theintervention were driven out of office

Anglo-Saxon countries have been strivingto guard against such arbitrary power sincethe days of the Magna Charta. It ishumiliating to find Americans careless ofindividual liberty and of the right to a fairtrial in a country which the United State hasvirtually conquered.2

2 Paul H. Douglas, The American Occupation of Haiti II, Political Science Quarterly (September

1927): 371, http://www.jstor.org/stable/2143127 (accessed November 13, 2011).

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U.S. Withdrawal

Franklin D. Roosevelt elected in 1933, condemnsoccupation of Haiti

Begins formal withdrawal of U.S. troops in 1934

U.S. facing internal and external pressuresGreat Depression

Focus on New Deal policies

Onset of World War II in Europe

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Justifications for U.S.Intervention

Monroe Doctrine A number of times, by reason of this situation, war has

been almost precipitated between the Haitian governmentand the European nations. The action of the Germangovernment is fresh in the minds of our people, and the

warships of Great Britain and France are only too frequentin the harbors of Haiti, protecting their subjects,demanding redress for grievances and saving human life.This means, sooner or later, that the irresponsiblegovernment of the Republic of Haiti will commit the act

which will involve us, under the first clause and originalapplication of the Monroe Doctrine3

U.S. claimed goals to restore economic, social, andpolitical stability Occupation failed to adequately achieve any of these

goals

3William A. MacCorkle, The Monroe Doctrine and Its Application to Haiti, Annals of the

American Academy of Political and Social Science 54 (July 1914): 41-42,http://www.jstor.org/stable/1012569 (accessed November 19, 2011).

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Post-Occupied Haiti

Paved the way for the Duvalier dictatorship

Franois Duvalier elected in 1957, supported by U.S.

Succeeded in 1971 by his son, Jean-Claude Duvalier

Worked to keep exiled professionals out of HaitiDevelopment plan starved Haitian peasants

Filled cities with low-wage laborers

Created harsh society divided by race and class

Large-scale militarization

Military was the only way for Haitians to succeedeconomically and socially

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Haiti Today

2nd U.S. occupation in 1994 to restore the power ofPresident Jean Bertrand Aristide 20,000 U.S. troops sent to Haiti to put down the coup Proper leader who challenged the traditional hierarchal

structure of Haitian society Demonstrated the power of violence in Haitian politics and

society once again

Stagnant economy, political corruption and humanrights abuses still rampant through the country

Victim of numerous natural disasters and diseaseepidemics 2010 earthquake (7.0 on the moment magnitude scale)

kills approx. 316,000 and leaves 1.6 million homeless

2010 cholera outbreak kills around 4,600 Over 250,000 cases reported

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Aftermath of 2010 earthquake in Port-au-Prince

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Over 1 millions Haitians left homeless after 2010earthquake