History UsefulNotes / Haiti

* '''Highest point:''' Pic la Selle (2680 m/8,793 ft) (93rd)

--> ''So, today, Haiti is, as everyone is contractually obligated to point out when talking about Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. They got there through a mix of the world screwing them over a lot, their own political and economic mistakes, and then environmental catastrophes caused both by God and their own hands. But they will never not be the country that was born from the only successful [[SlaveLiberation slave uprising]] in the history of the world, that they had been created by a group of men and women who would not be slaves anymore, who beat back every major world power who tried to come in and tell them how it was going to be. The history of Haiti is not pretty, and Haiti is not in great shape right now. But, I'm proud to know them, proud to know their history and proud to have shared it here with you over the course of this series, and I hope that from now on whenever you encounter news about Haiti, you feel a better connection to the country, and understand them a little better, because they deserve to be more to us than just "the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere." They were once the Avengers of the New World.''

--> ''So, today, Haiti is, as everyone is contractually obligated to point out when talking about Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. They got there through a mix of the world screwing them over a lot, their own political and economic mistakes, and then environmental catastrophes caused both by God and their own hands. But they will never not be the country that was born from the only successful slave uprising in the history of the world, that they had been created by a group of men and women who would not be slaves anymore, who beat back every major world power who tried to come in and tell them how it was going to be. The history of Haiti is not pretty, and Haiti is not in great shape right now. But, I'm proud to know them, proud to know their history and proud to have shared it here with you over the course of this series, and I hope that from now on whenever you encounter news about Haiti, you feel a better connection to the country, and understand them a little better, because they deserve to be more to us than just "the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere." They were once the Avengers of the New World.''

Despite this, Louverture was actually quite proud to be French and would have been content leaving Haiti a French colony, until UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte attempted to reintroduce slavery and sent over an army to enforce the edict. Yellow fever and the seasoned Haitian army made short work of the French and Haiti became independent in 1804, the first state in recorded history to undergo a successful slave revolution and the second state in the Americas to achieve independence after the [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution United States]][[note]]Despite this, the USA actively supported the French against the Haitians, for fear of [[DoubleStandard inspiring a Black slave rebellion at home]].[[/note]]. However, Louverture--who, interestingly, never once declared formal independence during his time as leader of the country--was captured during the fighting and died in a French jail in 1803.

Louverture was succeeded by the far more radical Jean-Jacques Dessalines, who massacred most White Haitians remaining on the island in revenge, and styled himself after his old enemy Napoleon by [[TyrantTakesTheHelm declaring himself Emperor of Haiti]], as the country became more autocratic. Dessalines was quickly assassinated, and the country was [[EvilPowerVacuum divided into two]], with the [[TheEmpire State of Haiti]] (later Kingdom of Haiti) to the north and the [[TheRepublic Republic of Haiti]] to the south, all whilst the Spanish Empire recolonized eastern Hispaniola.

The two Haitian states eventually reunified and took over the eastern part of Hispaniola 1822, uniting the island, which displeased the Spanish-speaking of the eastern part mightily. They fought against Haitian rule won their independence as the Dominican Republic in 1844. The Dominican Republic in turn became re-colonized by the Spanish (the only place ever to be colonized twice by the same European power), but this time Haiti actually lent aid to the Dominican independence movement, leading the Spanish to withdraw in 1865, the year in which the UsefulNotes/AmericanCivilWar ended and thus any hope of going against the Monroe Doctrine unchallenged.

Louverture was succeeded by the far more radical Jean-Jacques Dessalines, who massacred most White Haitians remaining on the island in revenge, and styled himself after his old enemy Napoleon by [[TyrantTakesTheHelm declaring himself Emperor of Haiti]], as the country became more autocratic. Dessalines was quickly assassinated, and the country was [[EvilPowerVacuum divided into two]], with the [[TheEmpire State of Haiti]] (later Kingdom of Haiti) to the north and the [[TheRepublic Republic of Haiti]] to the south, all whilst the Spanish Empire tried to recolonize eastern Hispanola.

Haiti eventually took over the eastern part of Hispaniola 1822, uniting the island, which displeased the Spanish-speaking of the eastern part mightily; they fought against Haitian rule won their independence as the Dominican Republic in 1844. The Dominican Republic in turn became re-colonized by the Spanish (the only place ever to be colonized twice by the same European power), but this time Haiti actually lent aid to the Dominican independence movement, leading the Spanish to withdraw in 1865, the year in which the UsefulNotes/AmericanCivilWar ended and thus any hope of going against the Monroe Doctrine unchallenged.

Despite this, Louverture was actually quite proud to be French and would have been content leaving Haiti a French colony, until UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte attempted to reintroduce slavery and sent over an army to enforce the edict. Yellow fever and the seasoned Haitian army made short work of the French and Haiti became independent in 1804, the first state in recorded history to undergo a successful slave revolution and the second state in the Americas to achieve independence. However, Louverture--who, interestingly, never once declared formal independence during his time as leader of the country--was captured during the fighting and died in a French jail in 1803.

Haiti eventually took over the eastern part of Hispaniola, uniting the island, which displeased the Spanish-speaking of the eastern part mightily; they fought against Haitian rule won their independence as the Dominican Republic in 1844. The Dominican Republic in turn became re-colonized by the Spanish (the only place ever to be colonized twice by the same European power), but this time Haiti actually lent aid to the Dominican independence movement, leading the Spanish to withdraw in 1865, the year in which the UsefulNotes/AmericanCivilWar ended and thus any hope of going against the Monroe Doctrine unchallenged.

Since then the country has undergone a succession of coups, repeated occupation by the USA, the rule of the father-and-son despots known as "Papa Doc" and "Baby Doc" Duvalier (the latter rising to power at ''19''), followed by what can only be called anarchy. [[HopeSpot Things were finally settling down politically]], just in time for a horrific earthquake to hit in the January of 2010. In July of 2021, president Jovenel Moïse was killed by assassins and found with a [[EyeScream gouged eye]] and 12 bullet wounds inside his home.

Despite this, Louverture was actually quite proud to be French and would have been content leaving Haiti a French colony, until UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte attempted to reintroduce slavery and sent over an army to enforce the edict. Yellow fever and the seasoned Haitian army made short work of the French and Haiti became independent in 1804, the first state in recorded history to undergo a successful slave revolution and the second state in the Americas to achieve independence. However, Louverture was captured during the fighting and died in a French jail in 1803.

-->--'''Creator/MikeDuncan''', ''Podcast/{{Revolutions}}'' 4.19 "The History of Haiti"

* Season 4 of ''Podcast/{{Revolutions}}'' by Creator/MikeDuncan deals with the Haitian Revolution. Duncan is particularly hard on slavery and all its supporters, although he also has some choice words for Dessalines' massacre of the remaining whites in 1804 (which he noted, in the apocryphal words of Talleyrand, "[[DoWrongRight was worse than a crime, it was a mistake]]"). Still, he came out with a deep, deep respect for Haiti, its history, and its people, as did most of his listeners, as reflected by his parting words on the season:
--> So, today, Haiti is, as everyone is contractually obligated to point out when talking about Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. They got there through a mix of the world screwing them over a lot, their own political and economic mistakes, and then environmental catastrophes caused both by God and their own hands. But they will never not be the country that was born from the only successful slave uprising in the history of the world, that they had been created by a group of men and women who would not be slaves anymore, who beat back every major world power who tried to come in and tell them how it was going to be. The history of Haiti is not pretty, and Haiti is not in great shape right now. But, I'm proud to know them, proud to know their history and proud to have shared it here with you over the course of this series, and I hope that from now on whenever you encounter news about Haiti, you feel a better connection to the country, and understand them a little better, because they deserve to be more to us than just "the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere." They were once the Avengers of the New World.

* Season 4 of ''Podcast/{{Revolutions}}'' by Creator/MikeDuncan deals with the Haitian Revolution. Duncan is particularly hard on slavery and all its supporters, although he also has some choice words for Dessalines' massacre of the remaining whites in 1804 (which he noted, in the apocryphal words of Talleyrand, "[[DoWrongRight was worse than a crime, it was a mistake]]").

* '''Highest point:''' Pic la Selle (2680 m/8,793 ft) (88th)

* '''Highest point:''' Pic la Selle (2680 m/8,793 ft) (107th)

* '''ISO-3166-1 Code:''' HT

The country was originally colonized by literal [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfPiracy Buccaneers]] (so named because they used to sell beef jerky made on wooden racks called ''bucannes'' before realizing that piracy paid better). But as ship raids grew more difficult to pull off, most of these scallywags settled down to become plantation owners, mainly growing sugarcane and coffee (via slave labor). The business rapidly became incredibly profitable, and the colony dealt with this by importing hundreds of thousands of African slaves to increase production. By the 1780s, Saint-Domingue--what the French called the territory--was supplying something like three quarters of the world's supply of sugar and coffee, which France could sell at high margins to make Saint-Domingue the single most profitable European colony by a country mile. (Yes, even more profitable than [[UsefulNotes/TheRaj India]].)

The country was originally colonized by literal [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfPiracy Buccaneers]] (so named because they used to sell beef jerky made on wooden racks called ''bucannes'' before realizing that piracy paid better). But as ship raids grew more difficult to pull off, most of these scallywags settled down to become plantation owners, mainly growing sugarcane and coffee (via slave labor). The business rapidly became incredibly profitable, and the colony dealt with this by importing hundreds of thousands of African slaves to increase production. By the 1780s, Saint-Domingue--what the French called the territory--was supplying something like three quarters of the world's supply of sugar and coffee, which France could sell at high margins to make Saint-Domingue the single most profitable European colony by a country mile.

Since then the country has undergone a succession of coups, repeated occupation by the USA, the rule of the father-and-son despots known as "Papa Doc" and "Baby Doc" Duvalier (the latter rising to power at ''19''), followed by what can only be called anarchy. [[HopeSpot Things were finally settling down politically]], just in time for a horrific earthquake to hit in the January of 2010. In July of 2021, president Jovenel Moïse was killed by assassins.

The Republic of Haiti, in French ''République d'Haïti'', in Haitian Creole ''Repiblik Ayiti''. Occupies half of the island of Hispaniola (now there's a famous name), with the UsefulNotes/DominicanRepublic taking the other.

This all changed in 1791, inspired by the egalitarian sentiments of the French Revolution, and the fact that they outnumbered the whites 10-to-1, the slaves (aided by black freemen and mixed-race mulattos plus a shamefully small smattering of high-minded whites) revolted. Despite the heavy resistance ([[CrazyPrepared the slavemasters had been preparing for such revolt all their lives]]), the rebellion, led by the self-taught military genius Toussaint L'Ouverture, quickly swept over the entire island, forcing France to emancipate all of the slaves in 1794.

Despite this, L'Ouverture was actually quite proud to be French and would have been content leaving Haiti a French colony, until UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte attempted to reintroduce slavery and sent over an army to enforce the edict. Yellow fever and the seasoned Haitian army made short work of the French and Haiti became independent in 1804, the first state in recorded history to undergo a successful slave revolution and the second state in the Americas to achieve independence. However, L'Ouverture was captured during the fighting and died in a French jail in 1803.

Since then the country has undergone a succession of coups, repeated occupation by the USA, the rule of the father-and-son despots known as "Papa Doc" and "Baby Doc" Duvalier (the latter rising to power at ''19''), followed by what can only be called anarchy. [[HopeSpot Things were finally settling down politically]], just in time for a horrific earthquake to hit in the January of 2010.

** President: Jovenel Moïse

* '''Area:''' 27,750 sq km (10,710 sq mi) (143rd)

Se pou-nou mache men nan lamen
Nan mitan-nou pa fèt pou gen trèt
Nou fèt pou-nou sèl mèt tèt nou.
Annou mache men nan lamen
Pou Ayiti ka vin pi bèl
Annou, annou, met tèt ansanm
Pou Ayiti onon tout Zansèt yo.

Pou Ayiti onon Zansèt yo
Se pou-nou sekle se pou-nou plante
Se nan tè tout fòs nou chita
Se li-ki ba nou manje
Ann bite tè, ann voye wou
Ak kè kontan, fòk tè a bay
Sekle, wouze, fanm tankou gason
Pou-nou rive viv ak sèl fòs ponyèt nou.

Pou Ayiti ak pou Zansèt yo
Fo nou kapab vanyan gason
Moun pa fèt pou ret avèk moun
Se sa-ki fè tout Manman ak tout Papa
Dwe pou voye Timoun lekòl
Pou yo aprann, pou yo konnen
Sa Tousen, Desalin, Kristòf, Petyon
Te fè pou wet Ayisyen anba bòt blan.

Pou Ayiti onon Zansèt yo
Ann leve tèt nou gad anlè
Pou tout moun mande Granmèt la
Pou-li ba nou pwoteksyon
Pou move zanj pa detounen-n
Pou-nou ka mache nan bon chimen
Pou libète ka libète
Fòk lajistis blayi sou peyi a!

Nou gen drapo tankou tout pèp
Se pou nou renmen-li mouri pou li
Se pa kado blan te fè nou
Se san Zansèt nou yo ki te koule
Pou nou kenbe drapo nou wo
Se pou nou travay met tèt ansanm.
Pou lòt peyi ka respekte-li
Drapo sila a se nanm tout Ayisyen.

* '''Currency''': Gourde (G) (HTG)

->The blue and red halves are derived from the ''Tricolore'', symbolizing the black majority and peoples of mixed descent, respectively. At the center is the coat-of-arms, featuring a Phrygian cap, a symbol of liberty, perched atop a palm tree. The tree is surrounded by six flags, symbolizing Haiti, which are in turn surrounded by tools of war, such as guns, cannons, anchors and a drum, symbolizing the Haitians' readiness to defend their homeland.

* Music/ArcadeFire's song "Haiti" (from ''Funeral'') is about the days of Duvalier. Frontwoman Régine Chassagne is the daughter of white Haitian emigrants to Quebec.

* Season 4 of ''Podcast/{{Revolutions}}'' by Creator/MikeDuncan deals with the Haitian Revolution. Duncan is particularly hard on slavery and all its supporters, although he also has some choice words for Dessalines' massacre of the remaining whites in 1804 (which he noted was, in the apocryphal words of Talleyrand, "[[DoWrongRight worse than a crime, it was a mistake]]").

* Season 4 of ''Podcast/{{Revolutions}}'' by Creator/MikeDuncan deals with the Haitian Revolution. Duncan is particularly hard on slavery and all its supporters, although he also has some choice words for Dessalines' massacre of the remaining whites in 1804 (which he noted was, in the apocryphal words of Talleyrand "[[DoWrongRight worse than a crime, it was a mistake]]").

* Season 4 of ''Podcast/{{Revolutions}}'' by Creator/MikeDuncan deals with the Haitian Revolution. Duncan is particularly hard on slavery and all its supporters, although he also has some choice words for Dessalines' massacre of the remaining whites in 1804.