Introduction
The history of Haiti immediately after the revolution period was not an easy one because of the preceding events. This country was literally in shambles and everything was in a mess starting from the farms together with the crops. Skilled labor from other countries had either left, dead, or had fled due to the way they were treated at this time as slaves while others might have gone into hiding. Those who were former slaves and were now free were not ready to work on other people’s farms. At the same time, there was great fear that France might take over the country once again. The other international countries were completely no longer friendly to Haiti and therefore had no interest all.
The history around Haiti, especially between 1804 and 1820 revolved around three main leaders, namely; Jean-Jacques Dessalines, Henry Christophe and Alexander Petion. Dessalines had a relatively short rule while Christophe had a longer rule. But what is common for both leaders is that none was able to solve the problems of Haiti during this period. They also failed to restore Haiti to its former glory, just before independence leaves alone leading her to take off immediately. It is also important to note that one of the failure of Petion’s rule was the setting up of the tone and social structures in the south, which undermined the economic and social life of the people, which was carried over by the succeeding regimes for almost a century. Further, many will argue that potions rule in the south sets the tone and social structures in place that determined the economic and social life of Haiti for the next century.
At the start of 1800, it was believed that the best opportunity for Haiti had passed. Up to this day many people in Haiti and other historians agree with this sentiment. This is because it was a time when Haiti had gone through several changes and was at its peak during this age, everything was torn apart. The revolution events of 1800s might have been one of the major events in Haiti history, but also one of the pride of the Haitian people living in this age. There might be critical that those moments could have sparked new beginnings at a faster rate, but it provides a momentum of pushing forward even though not at a faster rate as many would wish.
After 1st of January, 1804, Haiti was facing many challenges, which including poverty, the country’s resources like sugar and coffee plantations were in ruins. At the same time, the structures for managing agriculture were totally destroyed. This is because the foreigners who formerly managed this sector had left and there were unwilling slaves who worked on the farms. In addition, the free population in Haiti was now not willing to provide labor for the other in the agricultural sector, but instead they wanted to have farms of their own.
The foreign countries were increasingly becoming hostile to Haiti because of the slave trade that was previously common in this country among other factors. According to Higman (2010), there was a trade of manufactured products between Haiti and Britain between the years 1830s and 1870. This exerted dominance of Britain over Haiti, which was seen as an indirect dominance of Britain over French, Dutch and Spanish colonies. At this time, many other nations were still slave nations, including the United States., Britain, Spain and France. Therefore, it was viewed that the Haiti turn around was a threat to the aforementioned countries. This developed the hostility of these nations against Haiti. This started with Britain and was followed by U.S. and continued to move to other nations. The closure of trade in slaves, which was a source of income for this country hugely, affected Haiti and in 1804, a group of the wealthy class was formed and they were exploiting the other population despite the existing constitution.
Externally, the world around was changing, especially the coming of the industrial revolution. Industrial revolution claimed a new history around the world and Haiti in particular. The agricultural products, which were central to Haiti’s economy, were now affected due to the industrial revolution. The potential of these goods became less important during this period coupled with the decline in the slave trade. Haiti as a country lacked the natural resources that were necessary for the industrial revolution. The country also lacked the initial capital and the skilled labor that was necessary during this period. This condemned her to become less important for consideration. The hostility that was ongoing from the other world powers against Haiti ensured that the industrial revolution did not easily pass into the country. In other words, Haiti was segregated from the rest of the world by the international community and this condemned her and its economic potential.
After the early years of 1800s, the United States increased its interests in Haiti as a potential naval base. This therefore necessitated the need for having a stable Haiti to serve their own interests. The United States feared that an instable Haiti could again attract other foreign rule, which could affect their interests. In 1968, the then United States president Andrew Johnson gave an idea that could see United States set the island of Hispaniola, which consist of Haiti and Dominican Republic as its territory. This was aimed at claiming stake in these countries from the West Indies. In the years, 1889 to 1891 the U.S. secretary of state James Blaine unsuccessfully tried to lease out a city on the north coast of Haiti called Mole-Saint Nicolas. On the other hand, France as a former colonizer still had economic links together with strong diplomatic ties with Haiti. The 1824 independence agreement between Haiti and France left Haiti in large debts owing the fact that Haiti was to pay a huge indemnity for its independence.
Based on the historical events, especially of the 1800s, the effects are felt even up to this day. This is because the country failed to take off during this time. The effects range from the economy, sex and race, agriculture, equality and many others. In other words, the country’s current structure of society is a direct reflection of the colonial past.
Economy
According to CIA (2016), Haiti is among the poorest countries in the world and it is approximated that eighty percent of the people of Haiti live below the poverty line. This means that they live under $1 U.S. dollar a day. It is also approximated that fifty four percent of the population lives in abject poverty. The population of Haiti is classified into three different classes, i.e. the elite “neo-Duvalierist” who are a group of those who served in the military, warlords and politicians, a small group in the middle class regarded as neo-liberalists, and lastly a poor majority. There exists a large economic inequality in in this country in relation to other countries all over the world. According to Seers (1969), poverty can only be eliminated only if there is an economic growth directly proportional to the increase in general incomes. Seers (1969), also argued that by using the inequality index and compare with other countries of the world, Haiti economic inequality is way above countries in Europe and the greater American nations.
Manufacturing sector in Haiti is regarded as being more organized than the other sectors like agriculture. According to CIA (2016), the manufacturing sector comprises of twenty percent of Haiti’s GDP with a nine percent employment. A majority of the products from this sector is for export and mostly do not benefit the locals. The manufacturing plants in Haiti include sugar production, flour milling, textiles, cement and assembly based on imported parts.
Religion
According to Higman (2010), there was conflict between the state and the church in Haiti in the 1800s, especially in education. He further argued that this happened alongside other struggles between religion and other African traditions and beliefs. Here was also a struggle between modern populist churches and traditional religions. Slaves kept in secret the African traditions as their religion. Religion was used as a tool in the revolution in Haiti, however; the early leaders embraced Christian values rather than the traditional beliefs. In most cases, they promoted the practices of the Catholic Church.
Higman (2010), argued that Haiti saw a completion between European and American versions of revivalist forms of Christianity during the American revolution of the Caribbean. The Baptist church introduced by the Europeans rebelled against the American Baptist church, which considered itself the native Baptist. This conflict led to what is commonly known as the Baptist war of 1831, which led to the great revival of 1861. This could later lead to other mainstream denominations around the Caribbean and Haiti in particular.
Healthcare
Health is a key sector in any government and therefore the shrinking fortunes of Haiti will continue condemning many into malnutrition and other diseases. Considerable steps need to be taken to alleviate hunger among the population especially the children.
Agriculture
In Haiti, a majority of the population depends on agriculture. Many are subsistence farmers who grow products such as sugar cane and coffee. Due to the decline in the economy and the reliance of these crops for livelihood, the crops have rapidly been faced with a shrinking market. The farmers are also faced with other barriers of trade, especially competition from other international countries who grow the same crops for commercial purposes. On the sugarcane product, the farmers have been faced with a dilemma since the introduction of artificial substitutes leading to declining fortunes for their products.
Natural disasters too have been facing this sector and hurting the farmers and the Haitian economy. According to the CIA (2016), agriculture contributes to twenty eight percent of the economy, whereas sixty six percent of the people in Haiti are employed by the same sector. This points out clearly how important this sector is in Haiti. Had this sector been taken seriously in the 1800’s it could have taken off and driven this country to greater heights. The numbers also indicate that there is a lack of capital and productivity. The main agricultural products in Haiti include rice, coffee, mangoes, sorghum, sugarcane, corn, and wood.
Infrastructure
The country has one of the worst forms of infrastructure compared to many countries of the world today. The country is also faced with many natural calamities like hurricanes and tropical storms that cause massive destruction of infrastructure. These natural disasters cause massive erosion, landslides, weaken top soil and cause potholes. This together with the economic situation in the country explains the poor state of roads and other forms of infrastructure. According to World Bank (2006), only five percent of the roads in Haiti were reported to be in good condition and eleven percent of the people in Haiti have access to piped water. There is a problem for the people to access clean water especially those in the rural areas. Lack of piped water worsens the poor state of sanitation in the country. A majority of the population does not have access to proper sanitation facilities.
The events of 1800’s had a great impact on Haiti. On the economic front, the declining resources and closure of the main source of revenue meant tough times ahead for the country. The departure of foreigners who were managers at the farms and slaves becoming free also affected agriculture. High poverty levels meant limited access to proper health and sanitation facilities for the majority of Haitians as well as poor infrastructure in a country prone to natural calamities. Overall, this was not only a period of great revolution in this Caribbean country, but also a period of missed opportunity.
Works cited
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), The world Fact Book. n.d. Web. 12 May. 2016.
Higman, Barry. A concise history of the Caribbean. Cambridge University Press, 2010.
Seers, Dudley. "The Meaning of Development." Int Dev Rev (1969)
World Bank, “Haiti: The Challenges of Poverty Reduction”. August. 1998: 17242-HA. print
