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Haiti shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic, one of the Greater Antilles. Haiti is the western one-third of the island and is French speaking rather than Spanish like the Dominican Republic. Much of the terraine is rough and mountainous. The Spanish gave it little attention. The French seized it early in the colonial era and it became the coloby of San Dominiqe. The colony was in the 18th century the most valuable colony in the Caribbean because of the massive sugar profuction based on plantations and slave labor. About a quater of the colony was arable land. The Spanish had descimated the Native American population so both French plnters imported African slaves. The apauling conditions on the plantations combined with the French revolution resulted in a slave revolt and eventual independendence. We have developed some historical background. The world community, however, for many years refused to recognize Haiti and deal with a black governmenbt. This isolation and subsequent incompetent rule has left Haiti the poorest country in the Americas. The economy is largely agricultural with some light industry and muniing. Economic failure has led to a range of ecological problems, including deforestation and overfishing leaving the country an ecological nightmare. We do not know much about children's activities in Haiti. Religion plays a role in the lives of many children. One of the inheritance of French rule was Roman Catholcism hich continues to be the country's principal religion. One of the most popular holidays in Christmas. Religions also play a major role in charities. We have not yet developed much information on Haitian boys clothing. Trends seem similar to the Dominican Republic, but poverty is a major factor. We see boys in the early-20th century wearing the kind of common compesino clothing--white or light-colored shirts and long pants. Both the climate and poverty have affected boys clothing. Boys now wear the same basic styles of casual clothes worn in the United States, although many children can not aford shoes. Used clothing is imported from America. HBC has a page on Haitian education. The country can not afford a quaklity chool system. Relatively few children after primary school go on to secondry school.
Haiti shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic, one of the Greater Antilles. Haiti is the western one-third of the island and is French speaking rather than Spanish like the Dominican Republic. Much of the terraine is rough and mountainous.
Columbus discoverd the island of Hispaniola on his first voyage (1492). Hispaniola became an important part of the Spanish Main, but the Spanish gave little attention to the mountneous west and their focus shifted to the mainland with the conquest of first Mexio and then Peru. Spain ceded the western third of Hispaniola to the French at the Treaty of Ryswick (1697). The French colony becomes Saint Domingue. Saint Domingue in the 18th century became the richest colony in the Americas. The capital, Cap Français, becomes known as the Paris of the New World. It develope as a slave colony dedicated to the production of sugar--a commodity of unprecedented value. The French operated Saint Domingue with unprecedented cruelty. It was an age in which slavery played an important role, but conditions in Haiti were dreadful ebven by the standards of the day. The 0.5 million slaves on the island were terrorized into submission. Floggings were common place and were just oine of the terrible punishments used to keep the slaves working and submissive. Slaves were punished for minor offences with starvation or even being buried alive. The French Revolution occured in France and the reverberations soon reach Saint Domingue (1789). Whites on the island were split. They turn their eire on mullatos in the towns when the French NationaL Assemby approved modest legislation about their status. A Voodoo houngan named Boukman launched the ininital slave rebellion (1791). The French were unable to maintain control. The slaves emerged victorious, fighting off Naopleon's and British efforts to seize the valuable colony. It is one of the few examples in history of a successful slave rebellion. Haitains declared an independent republic (1804).
Idependent Haiti has been unable to develop the counry's economy. And what was the richest colony in the Americas gradualy evolved into one of the poorest countries in the world. The French after seizing the ciolony proceeded to build large numbers of plantatiins. The Spanish had descimated the Native American population so both French plnters imported African slaves. About a quater of the colony was arable land. Huge fortunes werte made, but the plantation system was incredablr brutal. The apauling conditions on the plantations combined with the French revolution resulted in a slave revolt and eventual independendence. The slaves when they revolted from French rule, destoyed the plantatios where they had toiled and been brutalized. The slaves killed all the white that they capured, including women and children. In destroying the plantations, they obliterated the economic vitality of the colony. This ensuing isolation and subsequent incompetent rule left Haiti the poorest country in the Americas. The economy is still largely agricultural with two-thirds of the country earning its livlihood from agriculture. The envirinmental devestation and priitive methods limit the productivity of agriculture. There is also some light industry and muniing. Economic failure has led to a range of ecological problems, including deforestation and overfishing leaving the country an ecological nightmare. Haiti has an obstensiably free market economy. It has some advantages such as low labor costs and free access to the U.S. market. The chaos, lack of the rule of law, largely uneducated population, and other factors have left the country poverty stricken. This combined with ith the enviromental degredation and government coruption have meant that the country unlike many Caribbean countries has made no economic progress. An estimated 80 percent of the opulation live in povery and over half in abject poverty. Haiti experienced a mssive earhquake (January 2010). A devestating 7.0 magnitude earthquake destroyed much of its capital city of Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas. The earhquake only woirsened the economic conditions. Only a massive international relief effort led by the United States prevented a humanitarian nightmare. The chaos and coruption in the country discourage needed fireign investment.
We do not know much about children's activities in Haiti.
Haiti with its Spanish and French colonial history is a predominately Christian country, primarily Roman Catholic. Most of Haiti's population is of African origins, transported to Haiti during the French colonial era (18th century). A substantial number came from the Dahomey Kingdom (modern Benin) and included many Yoruba. European powers established slave stalions along the African coast. And the captive Africans trnsported to to their colonies tended to come from those stations, not exclisiuvly but there was a definite comnection. As was common inslave socties, the slave masters tried to stamp out asprct of African heritage, especually relogion. The slaves as a result commonly adopted the outward aspect of Catholicism forced upon them, but covertly continued their traditional believes. Overtime a syncretic religion developed--Voodoo. Voodoo is strongly related to African, especially Yoruba traditional religius beliefs. The French plsntation system on Hsiti was exceptionlly brutal and cruel. Slaves were esentially worked to death. Punishments were cruel even in slavery terms. Rebels as the Haitian Revolution turned increasingly violent killed the French planters and priests who did not flee. As a result of the successful slave rebelion in Haiti (1791-1804) ties were broken with both France and the Catholic Church. And the Europeans and the United States ostracized Haiti from the nternational comminity. As a result, the Voodoo had the opportunity to develop unlike any other place. When the Catholic Church was allowed back into Haiti, priests faced a ell entrenched popular attachmenbt to Voodoo. Today in Haiti over half the population identifies as being Catholic (55 percent or more), but this means a popular belief in a profoundly modified syncretic Catholocism. One source suggests Native American strands, but Native American were basically gone by the time Africans began arriving in large numbers. Haitian Voodoo did not spread to Hispanic regions, but the same process took plave on neighboring Cuba where Santería developed. We do see Voodoo in other French-influenced areas such as New Orleans and now Miami among Haitian immigrants. Protestantism in recent years has become important in Haiti. Not as important as Catholocism, but aboy hlf the size as the Catholic adherents (30 percent). This means that is growing much faster than Catholocism. This is the general pattern throughout Latin America, but ghe Pritestant popultion is particularly importnt. Protestants tend to reject Voodoo influences as imoral. Religion plays a role in the lives of many children. Many Catholic children do First Communions. One of the most popular holidays in Christmas. Religions also play a major role in charities which in a poor country like Haiti are especially important.
We have not yet developed much information on Haitian boys clothing. Trends seem similar to the Dominican Republic, but poverty is a major factor. We see boys in the early-20th century wearing the kind of common compesino clothing--white or light-colored shirts and long pants. Both the climate and poverty have affected boys clothing. Boys now wear the same basic styles of casual clothes worn in the United States, although many children can not aford shoes. Used clothing is imported from America.
Haiti until independence was a hugely profitable slave-based sugar colony of France with no education for the vast majority of the population. The country's Constitution provided for free and compulsory primary education for all children (1805). This provision was absent in American state constitutions. Creating such a system was beyond the means of the new republic. The first leaders Henri Christophe (1807-20) and Alexandre Pétion (1806-18) began the job of constructing schools. The country in a few years had nineteen primary schools and three secondary lycées (1820). This essentialy provide for schools in the principal cities, but there wre no rural schools. The Haitian Education Act (1848) created rural primary schools. They were small schools with a shotened curriculum. The law also created colleges of medicine and law. Political turmoil and ecoomic difficulties prevented Haiti from establishing the comprehensive natinal school system that had been hoped for by the country's founders. Thus most Haitans had little opportunity for education. Wealthy Haitains sent their children, mostly sons, to France to be educated. The conclusion of a Concordat with the Vatican dramtically changed Haitian education (1860). The Catholic Church sent priests to Haiti which included teachers. This among other matters cemented the Catholic orientation of Haiti's ruleing class. Haitian public schools developed as Catholic schools in contrast to the secular educational systems fevelopin in Europe. The system was jointly funded by the Varican and the Haitian Government. The teachers were primarily French priests which in addition to instruction promoted an assoiciation with France among the children. The education message was essentially that Hait was backward and should look to France for enlightenment and essentially colonial message despite the fact Hiiti was independent. Essentially the French taught Haitians to look down on themselves and their country. The schools were mostly primary schools and almost entirely in the cities. There were a few secondary schools with excellent standards, but a very small part of the population attended these schools. Rural educatioin was very limited. The curriculum was very similar to 19th century French schools, emphasizing the classic literature and rote learning. The Americans tried to establish vocational education during their intervention (1915-35), but this refom was discontinued when the Americans dearted. Education in Haiti did not begin to change until the 1970s. Administrative and curriculum reforms began during Jean-Claude Duvalier regime and primary enrollments expanded. Even so, most Hautians dropped out oschool by age 10 years and only 8 percent of the school age children even began secondary school (1982).
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