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Haiti and the United States: two countries that emerged from European colonialism
to become the first independent nations in the modern Western Hemisphere. Joined
by history and geography, Haiti and the United States have much in common –
and they are quite different.
Joined by history and geography, Haiti and the United States have
much in common – and they are quite different. |
One was colonized by France; the other by Great Britain. The independence of
one led to freedom from slavery; the independence of the other did not, at least
not for more than 70 years. One became a weakened, isolated pariah state following
its independence; the other became stronger and was ultimately welcomed by its
European allies into the community of the great powers of the 19th century.
And on, and on…
Yet, despite divergent paths and U.S. efforts to distance itself from its neighbor,
the two nations remained linked – sometimes positively, other times negatively.
This section of our web site explores historical connections between Haiti and
the United States over roughly a 100 year period – from the U.S. War for
Independence to Haiti’s eventual diplomatic recognition by the United
States and the subsequent journey of the former slave and abolitionist leader,
Frederick Douglass, to Haiti as one of its first U.S. Ambassadors.
Over the long road of history that leads us to today certain events can sometimes
be forgotten, overlooked, or set aside. In this regard, our approach to exploring
the links between Haiti and the United States accents positive relationships
between the two nations, with a particular emphasis on Haiti’s positive
influence on the U.S.
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| Historical map of Haiti |
A Note on Geography and Terminology
Geography: Sometimes, even in the most highly regarded publications of today,
Haiti is identified as an island. This is simply not true. Haiti occupies roughly
the western one-third of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, which it shares
with the Dominican Republic. Only during the 1822 – 1844 occupation by
Haiti of the Dominican Republic, when the government of Haiti controlled all
of Hispaniola, was Haiti actually an island.
Terminology: Just as times change, terminology changes, also. During its French
colonial period, Haiti was known as the colony of Saint Domingue. The Spanish
colony to the east was known as Santo Domingo. Mixing Spanish with French, some
authors referred to the French colony as San Domingue. Then, following its independence,
Haiti was referred to by some as Hayti, with the residents of the independent
country being “Haytians.”
In this website, we have used Saint Domingue to refer to the French colony
on the island of Hispaniola, and Haiti to refer to the independent nation that
emerged in 1804.
At times, the narrative text refers to ‘people of color.’ In both
Saint Domingue and Haiti, people of color – les gens de couleur –
are those whose ancestries include both African and European descendants. In
both Saint Domingue and Haiti, this distinction of a middle group between black
and white is of great importance.
A Word of Thanks
The historical section of this web site would not have been possible without
the active collaboration of Dr. Fritz Daguillard. Dr. Daguillard, a superb student
of Haitian history and of the historical links between Haiti and the United
States, graciously allowed artifacts and images from his exquisite collection
be photographed and scanned for inclusion here. We owe a deep debt of gratitude
to Fritz.
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