Independence of Haiti

Dessalines was proclaimed governor for life by his troops. He exiled the remaining whites and ruled as a despot. He was assassinated on October 17, 1806. The country was divided then between a kingdom in the north directed by Henri Christophe and a republic in the south directed by Alexandre Pétion. Then president Jean Pierre Boyer reunified these two parts and conquered the east part of the island. In July 1825, the king of France Charles X sent a fleet of fourteen vessels and troops to reconquer the island. To maintain independence, President Boyer agreed to a treaty by which France recognized the independence of the country in exchange for an allowance of 150 million francs (the sum was reduced in 1838 to 90 million francs). A long succession of coups followed the departure of Jean Pierre Boyer. His authority did not cease being disputed by factions of the army, the mulatto and black elites, and the commercial class, now made up of numerous immigrants: Germans, Americans, French and English). The country was impoverished. Few heads of state took care of its development. As the president's authority weakened, armed revolts started, maintained by candidates to the succession. At the beginning of the 20th century, the country was in a state of quasi-permanent insurrection.
Twentieth century

The United States occupied the island from 1915 to 1934. From 1957 to 1986, the Duvalier family reigned as dictators. They created the private army and terrorist death squads known as Tonton Macoute. Many Haitians fled into exile in the United States and Quebec. The former priest Jean-Bertrand Aristide won the elections of December 1990. His mandate began on February 7, 1991. A coup d'état carried out by Raoul Cédras and supported by the business middle-class deposed him in September. In 1994, Aristide returned to power with the backing of the United States' Clinton administration. Aristide left the presidency in 1995 and was re-elected in 2000. After several months of popular demonstrations and pressures exerted by the international community, especially by France, the USA and Canada, Aristide went into exile. He was escorted from the country by US soldiers on February 29, 2004. Armed forces consisting of opponents and former soldiers who controlled the North of the country had threatened to attack the capital Port-au-Prince.
Boniface Alexandre, president of the Supreme Court of Appeal, assumed interim authority. In February 2006, following elections marked by uncertainties and thanks to the support of popular demonstrations, René Préval, close to Aristide and former president of the Republic of Haiti between 1995 and 2000, was elected.

Presidential Palace in Port-au-Prince
The government of Haiti is a presidential republic, pluriform multiparty system whereby the President of Haiti is head of state directly elected by popular elections. The Prime Minister acts as head of government and is appointed by the President from the majority party in the National Assembly. Executive power is exercised by the President and Prime Minister who together constitute the government.

Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of the National Assembly of Haiti. The government is organized unitarily, thus the central government delegates powers to the departments without a constitutional need for consent. The current structure of Haiti's political system was set forth in the Constitution of March 29, 1987. The current president is René Préval.
The United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (also known as MINUSTAH) has been in the country since 2004. Haitian politics have been contentious. Most Haitians are aware of Haiti's history as the only country in the Western Hemisphere to undergo a successful revolution of slaves. France and the United States, have repeatedly interfered in Haitian politics since the country's founding, and this consciousness also permeates Haitian politics. On the other hand, the long history of oppression by dictators, including François Duvalier is also an influence.

1492 Christopher Columbus encounters what is today called Haiti, landing on the north coast of the island, near today’s city of Cap Haitien
1625 First French settlements on Tortuga Island, off the northwest coast of the island of Hispaniola, are established
mid-1600s French settlements and plantations are established in coastal areas on the western third of the island 1697 Under the terms of the Treaty of Ryswick, Spain cedes the western third of Hispaniola to France
1700s The French colony of Saint Domingue becomes one of the richest European colonies in the world, with such slave-produced tropical crops as sugarcane, cotton, tobacco, and indigo generating great wealth for the French
1791 The Haitian Revolution begins when a group of slaves gather at a place in the northern part of the colony called Bois-Caiman
1804 Haiti becomes independent on January 1, following a series of victories by the revolting slaves over the French
1815-1816 Simon Bolivar visits Haiti twice and receives military assistance for revolts in South America against the Spanish crown
1822 Haiti invades the Spanish colony of Santo Domingo (today’s Dominican Republic) and unifies the island under Haitian rule
1838 France recognizes Haiti’s independence
View of Citadelle from afar
1844 The Haitian occupation of Santo Domingo ends 1862 The United States, under President Lincoln, grants Haiti formal diplomatic recognition
1889 Frederick Douglass is appointed as U.S. Minister and Consul General to Haiti
1915 United States Marines invade Haiti and occupy it.
1934 The nineteen year U.S. occupation ends
1937 Thousands of Haitians living in the Dominican Republic are forced back into Haiti or massacred by the Dominican armed forces
1945 Haiti becomes a charter member of the United Nations
1957 Francois “Papa Doc” Duvalier becomes President of Haiti
1958-1964 Duvalier cracks down violently against his opponents, driving many of them into exile in the United States

1964 Papa Doc declares himself “President-for-Life
1971 Francois Duvalier dies and is succeeded by his son, Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier
1970s-1980s Thousands of Haitians flee poverty and repression in Haiti by boat, often arriving in South Florida
View of Citadelle from above
1983 Pope John Paul II visits Haiti
1986 Baby Doc flees Haiti on February 7th, taking up exile in France
1990 In mid-December, Jean-Bertrand Aristide is elected President of Haiti
1991 A military coup d’etat in late September deposes Aristide, who goes into exile in the United States
1991-1994 Thousands of Haitians flee violence and repr
1994 The defacto military government is ousted and Aristide is restored to office following a multi-national military intervention in September sanctioned by the United Nations and led by the United States
1995 United Nations Peacekeeping force succeeds the intervening Multi-national Force (MNF)
1996 Aristide completes his five-year term in office on February 7th and is succeeded by Rene Preval, elected in December 1995.
1999-2000 Haitian-Americans are elected to state legislatures in Florida and Massachusetts and to key municipal posts in South Florida
2000 The last United Nations peacekeeping forces withdrawal from Haiti
2000 Legislative, municipal and local elections are held in May. The validity of the results of seven-to-ten of a total of 19 senatorial races are disputed by the Organization of American States
2001 Aristide succeeds Preval for a second five-year term, following his success in elections held in December 2000
2001-2003 Political power struggles emanating from 2000 election controversies give rise to increasing economic and political instability and uncertainty in the country
2004 Haiti’s 200 anniversary of independence PART TWO: FACTS AND STATISTICAL INFORMATION Note: Because exact statistical data on Haiti is often difficult to obtain many statistics, as indicated