Professional Documents
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Background
- Located in Caribbean, 1/3 of the island of Hispanola
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- 27,750 km2 land area(slightly smaller than Maryland -- Rough, mountainous terrain
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- Population : 9,719,932 (July 2011 estimate) -- Approx. 80% Roman Catholic (half of all Haitians practice some form of voodoo). -- French and Creole as official languages
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Early History
More than 50,000 French troops died from combat and disease
Upon gaining sovereignty, Haiti already dealt with severe debt, corrupt leadership, and no foreign support
While the United States began its sovereign career with the highest percentage of college graduates of any country in the world, Haiti began its life with most people illiterate1 Indemnities to France
150,000,000 francs owed to France Forced to give French merchants a 50% decrease on all import/export duties
W. Mintz, the impact of recognizing a nation of former slaves on the Sidney Fear of Can Haiti Change?, Foreign Affairs 74, no. 1 (January-February 1995): 80, http://www.jstor.org/stable/20047020 (accessed November 27, 2011). American slave institution.
Turbulent Leadership
for 25 years Presidency for life abolished. Succeeded by a series of corrupt, inefficient leaders
Early 1900s
Haitian
1910
Failure
1911-1915,
Revolutionaries
United States, France, and Great Britain enter Haiti to restore political order in 1914
Achieved fairly quickly, France and GB withdraw 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
Sometimes consulted on issues, but had very little influence, if any at all 1915 treaty allows the U.S. takeover of Haitian constabulary, finances, and public services President coerced to sign the treaty, Congress refuses
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%
L. Farnham, VP of National City Bank of New York, given control of the Banque Nationale dHati, Haitis only banking institution U.S. businesses given a monopoly over the Haitian
Use of forced labor to build roads and other infrastructure Numerous cases of prison abuses and other human rights violations on behalf of U.S. Marines Opponents of U.S. occupation jailed without trial or due process of law
Case of Haitian journalist Joseph Jolibois Members of Congress opposed to the intervention were driven out of office Anglo-Saxon countries have been striving to guard against such arbitrary power since the days of the Magna Charta. It is humiliating to find Americans careless of individual liberty and of the right to a fair trial in a country which the United State has virtually 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).
U.S. Withdrawal
Monroe Doctrine
A number of times, by reason of this situation, war has been almost precipitated between the Haitian government and the European nations. The action of the German government is fresh in the minds of our people, and the warships of Great Britain and France are only too frequent in the harbors of Haiti, protecting their subjects, demanding redress for grievances and saving human life. This means, sooner or later, that the irresponsible government of the Republic of Haiti will commit the act which will involve us, under the first clause and original application of the Monroe Doctrine3
Occupation failed to adequately Its Application to Haiti,of these William A. MacCorkle, The Monroe Doctrine and achieve any Annals of the goals American Academy of Political and Social Science 54 (July 1914): 41-42,
http://www.jstor.org/stable/1012569 (accessed November 19, 2011).
Post-Occupied Haiti
Succeeded
to keep exiled professionals out of Haiti Development plan starved Haitian peasants
Filled
Created
was the only way for Haitians to succeed economically and socially
Haiti Today
2nd U.S. occupation in 1994 to restore the power of President 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 human rights abuses still rampant through the country Victim of numerous natural disasters and disease epidemics
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