The Haitian Revolution

When the people of Haiti finally earned their freedom for French control, their welcome into the world was far less than satisfactory. When the Haitians successfully repelled the French attack, and declared themselves an independent nation, they were nearly ignored by the rest of the world. The other nearby newly independent nation, The United States, refused to recognize Haiti as a country, and did not trade as openly with them. Thomas Jefferson was afraid that if the ideas of a slave uprising, as had happened in Haiti spread to the united states, then there would be chaos. Haiti was not recognized by the united states until 1862, six decades after the revolution took place. The French government was still not pleased that they had lost Haiti, so they decided to impose a "independence debt" on the Haitian government.

Haitian Rebels Fight off French Troops

The lack of support and interaction with other countries in the world dealt a heavy blow to the new country of Haiti. The lack of trade with this new country caused the economy to fall to ruin, and poverty was rampant. When the French instated the "independence debt" the people had to way to resist the unlawful fee that they were being force to pay; they had no allies in the area, they were unable to resist the French. The Haitian people had no other option than to pay the 90 million gold francs (6 times the annual income of Haiti) because the french fleet was stationed in the bay, threatening re-enslavement. The reception, or lack thereof, of the new Haitian country caused it to be crippled by economic problems, and instability, the effects of which can still be seen today.