Haiti History

Haiti offers a variety of diverse experiences and an interesting past. The Arawak and the Taino tribes are the original settlers of this beautiful land.

Explored by Columbus, Haiti fell victim to the Spanish rule and later became part of the French colony in 1697. When the Spanish took over the land they forced the native tribes to slavery mainly for the purpose of extracting gold and silver they excavated from the land. Gradually the local tribal population died off and the Spanish brought in slaves from Africa to continue their exploitation of the island and its resources.

In 1791 the slave population of almost 480,000 started an insurrection that resulted in the declaration of independence in 1801. Bonaparte was able to suppress the independence movement for a while under it gained momentum and was successful in 1804. It was under Jean-Jacques Dessalines that the independence movement triumphed and he gave the Arawak name Haiti to the world’s first independent black republic.

Dictatorship once again returned under General Paul Magloire, after a four year democracy in 1949. François Duvalier, also famously known as “Papa Doc”, was able to politically stabilize the nation with his efficient secret police. His son, Jean-Claude, succeeded him after his death. However, Haiti remained as the poorest nation in the hemisphere. In the 1980s, Haiti became the first of the few countries that faced the AIDS epidemic and the fear of this disease caused the tourists to stay away. Soon after, the tourist industry collapsed, leading to a rise of unemployment that lead to a period of great unrest and economic crisis.

The 1990s saw Haiti struggling for democracy. The international community tried to establish democracy in Haiti and the first elected chief executive of the country, Jean-Bertrand Aristide promised the nation a new era. However military had to take control of the nation before the year was up and later the UN peacekeeping force arrived and took hold in 1994. The UN forces left in the year 2000, but the government in Haiti has remained unstable and ineffectual. Haiti’s economy is in ruins and it has the highest rates for malnutrition and AIDS.

The nation’s leader, Aristide has been re-elected several times and is known to be a champion of democracy in Haiti but has remained incapable of improving the lot of his people. Protestors throughout the country have demanded him to resign and an armed revolt has been underway many a times. The U.S led international forces entered the country and attempted to restore the order which is still governed by much lawlessness. After the 2006 elections the former prime minister and Aristide protegé René Préval was re-elected by the people of Haiti. Even today, although stable and secure, Haiti is prone to political unrest and insecurity.