Soulouque’s process of obtaining absolute power in Haiti culminated in the formation of the Second Empire of Haiti after the Senate and Chamber of Deputies proclaimed him Emperor of Haiti on 26 August 1849, re-establishing the Haitian empire that had been abolished in 1806 following the assassination of Jean-Jacques Dessalines, who served as Emperor Jacques I of the First Empire of Haiti (another monarchy, …
Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the world, has been plagued by political instability, natural disasters, and economic hardship. But the roots of Haiti’s current poverty extend far deeper than recent events. In fact, they trace back to a staggering injustice inflicted upon the newly independent nation in the 19th century. Haiti made payments …
In 2017, Professor Michael E. Porter of Harvard Business School gave an important presentation about a strategy for restoring Haiti’s prosperity. A crucial part of his advice is to “make attracting foreign investment a core strategy“. In this article I will provide a suggestion to implement such a strategy. The causes of Haiti’s poverty Poverty in Haiti …
The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo is a 2012 biography of General Thomas-Alexandre Dumas written by Tom Reiss. The book presents the life and career of Dumas as a soldier and officer during the French Revolution, as well as his military service in Italy during the French Revolutionary …
Le documentaire de Noland Walker revient sur la vie, la lutte et l’héritage de Toussaint Louverture. Il est aujourd’hui considéré comme le “libérateur” d’Haïti par l’historiographie haïtienne en particulier et par les intellectuels anticoloniaux en général. Né esclave, Toussaint Louverture est affranchi par son maître. Devenu libre, il devient propriétaire et prend la tête d’une …
Entretien avec Jean-Pierre Le Glaunec, Historien, “L’armée indigène, la défaite de Napoléon” aux éditions Lux. En novembre 1803 eut lieu la bataille de Vertières, qui ouvrit la voie à l’indépendance haïtienne et scella une des pires défaites de l’armée napoléonienne. En France, cette bataille a été reléguée aux oubliettes de l’histoire. Jean-Pierre Le Glaunec lève …
Divine Horsemen: The Living Gods of Haiti is a black-and-white documentary film of approximately 52 minutes. It is about dance and possession in Haitian vodou that was shot by experimental filmmaker Maya Deren between 1947 and 1954. In 1981, twenty years after Deren’s death, the film was completed by Deren’s third husband Teiji Ito (1935-1982) …
The Institut de la Maison Impériale d’Haïti condemns in the strongest terms the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse of the Republic of Haiti. The perpetrators of this terrible crime must be brought to justice. The Institute extends its deepest condolences to the family of the late President and to the people and Government of Haiti. The Institut de …
The impressive La Gazette Royale project, which Mrs. Marlene L. Daut first began developing in 2014, is designed to collect and concentrate for the first time all the known issues of the two newspapers published during Henry Christophe’s rule of northern Haiti, as well as the six different versions of the Almanach Royal d’Hayti issued by the …
A 1849 Haitian Legion of Honor – (established in 1849), Officer’s Badge in Gold and enamels, 42.75mm (x 61.6mm including crown suspension), of fine quality, French manufacture, enamel repair to reverse center, in very fine condition, and very rare. Source: eMedals
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Haitian Revolution of 1791-1804, BBC 4 Radio, Thu 23 Oct 2014. Reading List Joan Dayan, Haiti, History and the Gods (University of California Press, 1998) Laurent Dubois, Avengers of the New World: The Story of the Haitian Revolution (Harvard University Press, 2004) Carolyn E. Fick, The Making of Haiti: The Saint-Domingue Revolution from Below (University …
This book brings to light the contributions of Haitian statesman Baron de Vastey in the development of postcolonial and critical race theory. The book demonstrates the influence of de Vastey’s writings and the work of prominent nineteenth and early twentieth-century abolitionists and anti-colonialists. Finally the work argues for the significance of writing by people of color …
Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise has launched a project to rebuild the presidential palace, destroyed by a devastating earthquake in 2010. “For many, the post-earthquake reconstruction has not begun as long as the National Palace has not been rebuilt,” he said. The new complex would be on the same site as the ornate domed building in …
By John Wesley Jeter There is a seamless historical continuity between the Great Liberator Simon Bolivar’s arrival in Haiti on this date 200 years ago and the United Nation’s acknowledgment last month that its peacekeeping forces were deeply involved in a cholera outbreak that left as many as 10,000 Haitians dead. The narrative that binds …
by Jack Webb, ILAS Stipendiary Fellow Since defeating the imperial armies of Britain, France, and Spain during the Haitian Revolution (1791–1804), Haiti has been struggling to achieve recognition of its right to sovereignty. In Britain, Haiti has been perceived as lacking an appropriate and capable government ever since Jacques Dessalines declared independence in 1804, a …
This temporary spotlight display opens on February 22nd and runs until April 22nd. It includes a selection of objects, artworks and poetry from the 18th century to the present to explore the legacy of the Haitian Revolution and its leader Toussaint Louverture. I cannot recall when exactly I learned the revolutionary leader Toussaint Bréda had …
Archaeologists have unearthed and excavated an area in Thomas Jefferson’s plantation home that was once the living quarters of Sally Hemings – a slave with whom he is believed to have had six children. Her room, which was built in 1809 and was 14 feet, 8 inches wide and 13 feet long, was next to …
L/S’s of Henri Christophe, leader of the Slaves’ Revolt, Citadel high up in the hills. Good M/S’s of the of the ruined building. Good L/S’s of the surrounding mountains from the ramparts of the castle. Several more shots of the castle.
Don Gabriel García Moreno y Morán de Butrón, Duke of the Holy Faith (1821-1875), President of Ecuador, was a contemporary of Faustin I. He was a direct descendent of the first Conquerors and Spanish aristocracy arrived to South America in the 1500s to the Viceroyalty of Peru (now Peru and Ecuador). The oldest and most …
María Elena de Cárdenas y González tiene en una de las entradas de su residencia en Coral Gables un escudo de la república de Cuba. Las paredes del interior de la casa en Granada, una de las avenidas principales de la ciudad floridana, muestran, sin embargo, los retratos de sus distinguidos antepasados de la nobleza …
En 1768, Jean-Valentin Vastey, un jeune paysan normand, part tenter fortune à Saint-Domingue. C’est alors la colonie la plus juteuse du royaume. Et la chance lui sourit bientôt. Il épouse la fille d’un riche planteur. On la dira liée à la famille d’Alexandre Dumas. Voilà Jean-Valentin à la tête de 80 captifs. Mais le vent …
Invitation La bataille de Vertières constitue une période charnière de l’Histoire d’Haïti à l’issue de laquelle allait naître la première République noire du monde. Elle demeure aussi l’une des plus cuisantes défaites de l’armée de Napoléon, réputée pour être la plus puissante de l’époque. En commémoration du 213ème anniversaire de cet important évènement, l’Ambassade d’Haïti …
