REPUBLIC OF HAITI

The French colonization

It was at that time the Frenchs were interested on the west part of the island. French Filibusters and Buccaneers were already established on Tortuga island (Ile de la Tortue) in the North and tried periodically to attack the “Big Land”. Despite the Spanishs efforts to oust the Frenchs, the latters finally occupied the west part of the island. On the spur of Minister Colbert, the colony improved. The first capital of the colony Le Cap (now Cap-Haitien), was founded in 1670 by the Frenchs. With the Ryswick's traitee (1697), Spain recognized the French occupation of the western part of the island, that became then the colony of Saint-Domingue (today Haiti), while Spain occupied the eastern part which was always named Hispaniola (now the Dominican Republic). On the western side, Saint-Domingue, the Frenchs continued to import black slaves from Africa to work the plantations. The slaves developed a particular language that became Creole.

It was during that period the famous black code has been enacted, a Louis XIV's law designed to control the administration of slavery and to outline the duties of the masters and the slaves. This black code that remained in effect in all the Antilles, and in French Guyana until 1848 (date of the complete abolition of slavery by France), was not fully respected. Although that law did not focus on anything related to language, it deprived the slaves of all their identities. In fact, after being baptized catholic by law, the slaves became a Negro and changed their names, rejecting their traditions and languages, then were marked with a hot brand and were bounded into servitude.

The colony of Saint-Domingue became one of the richest colonies in the Antilles. At the end of the 17th century, the value of Saint-Domingue's trades outnumbered even the one of the U.S.A.; this prosperity relied on the commercial crops of sugarcane and coffee based in the large plantations employing nearly 500,000 black slaves and supervised by 30,000 whites. In 1789, on the eve of the French Revolution, the colony of Saint-Domingue had more than 600,000 slaves, which was way higher than the number of whites (less than 50,000).

The Independence

It was Jean-Jacques Dessalines who finally ousted the remaining French and proclaimed the Independence of Saint-Domingue. In 1804, he immediately appointed himself emperor as Jaques the First. French was used as official language de facto, even though the majority of the population spoke Creole. After the assassination of the Dessalines in 1806, the country was divided in two: on the North, a kingdom commanded by Henri Christophe, and on the South a Republic governed by a mulatto Alexandre Sabès Pétion. The Haitians were bound to occupy the western part of the island. The 1814 Paris' treaty rendered to Spain the Eastern part (now Dominican Republic). The dictatorship imposed by Spain caused, in December 1821, the revolt of the Dominicans who proclaimed at their turn their independence. In Haiti, a confused period were about to begin, when we know that, between 1804 and 1957, about 24 presidents over 36 were overthrown or assassinated. In 1822, Haitian President Jean-Pierre Boyer annexed the Eastern part of the island. Nevertheless, the animosity between the Blacks of Haiti, the Creoles, the Hispanics made it impossible to unify the island. In 1844, the Haitian garrison was forced to leave the Eastern part of Saint-Domingue, thus paving the way for the proclamation of the “Dominican Republic”. Fearing a threat of a Haitian invasion, the new Republic of Santo-Domingo requested the help of Spain, which annexed this country again (the latter became definitely independent in 1865 under the “Republica Dominicana or Dominican Republic). In 1849, Faustin Soulouque, a Black, appointed himself emperor of Haiti as Faustin the First, and started to launch a severe repression against the mulattos; he governed the country with despotism during 10 years, before being overthrown in 1859 by the mulatto Nicolas Geffrard, who restored the Republic and governed the country until 1867. After being isolated for years by the industrial powers, Haiti have been progressively recognized by France, then by the Holy See and by the United States.

Liberty or Death

Gonaïves, January 1, 1804, Year 1 of the Independence

Indigenous Army:

Today, January 1, 1804, the General in Chief of the indigenous army, along with the generals of the army, convene to take the necessary steps that will lead to the happiness of the country.

After making the assembled generals acquainted with his true intention to forever ensure a stable government for the inhabitants of Haiti, a subject of great concern to him, which he declared in a speech inclined to make the foreign powers aware of the resolution to render the country independent, and to enjoy a freedom established through the blood of the people of this island; and after gathering thoughts, has requested to each of the assembled generals to pronounce the oath to forever renounce to France, to die rather than living under its domination, and to fight till death for the independence.

The generals, enlightened by these sacred principles after pledging unanimously to support the ambitious project of independence, have all sworn to the posterity, to the world, to forever renounce to France, and to die rather than living under its domination.

Declared in Gonaïves, on January 1st, 1804, and the first day of the Haiti's Independence.

The slaves' revolt began in 1791, while more than 1,000 whites were killed, the sugarcane and coffee plantations were destroyed. Under the command of their chiefs: Toussaint Louverture (nicknamed Toussaint Bréda), Jean-Jacques Dessalines, Henri Christophe and Alexandre Pétion, the slaves launched a war of liberation. On August 29, 1793, the commissioner Sonthonax, representative of the Convention in Paris, fearing to witness the property of Saint-Domingue taken over by his enemies, proclaimed the liberty of the slaves in the North, and on September 4th in the South. On February 2nd , 1794, the Convention certified this information and extended the abolition of slavery throughout the French colonies. Toussaint Louverture rejoined the French government, and was appointed general of the Republic and Governor of the island. However, the threat of the restoration of slavery by Napoleon Bonaparte convinced Toussaint to take up arms again against France. In 1801, Toussaint Louverture even took over the Eastern part of the island, which he wanted to annex with the western part (Saint-Domingue) today's Haiti. In 1802, Toussaint was captured by the French who jailed him at the Fort-de-Joux, above the Mount Jura, in France, where he died of illness, bitter cold and deprivations in 1803. His nickname of Louverture (or L'ouverture) came from the breaches he opened in his enemies ranks (French, British or Spanish). Knowing his military's value, Toussaint didn't hesitate to send to Napoleon a letter, which began with the following words: “From the First of the Blacks to the First of the Whites”.

Toussaint then set about organizing a well-disciplined armed group of rebels. They perfected techniques of guerrilla warfare. After an everlasting war of liberation, this rebel army had to defeat the British, the Spanish before defeating the French troops of Napoleon at Vertières, outside of Cap-Haitien in November 18, 1803. The independence was proclaimed on January 1st , 1804 and the colony of Saint-Domingue officially became Haiti (coming from the Amerindian word Ayiti) the first black Republic to be free from slavery. Here is the declaration of the Act of Independence: