How Haiti is Still Feeling the Impact From Colonialism and Slavery
Ask Students: What was the reason behind the Haitian president’s agreement to France’s demands for reparations? How was Haiti’s economy affected by these payments?
Summary
Once the richest colony in the New World, Haiti is now one of the poorest nations in the Western Hemisphere for reasons that are often overlooked. The New York Times recently conducted an unprecedented investigation into those root causes, which includes an “independence debt” totaling to about $21 billion to Haiti’s former colonizer: France. The Times’ Catherine Porter, who led the team that uncovered the story, joins Ali Rogin to discuss. For a transcript of the video, click here.
Discussion Questions
- Where is Haiti?
- When and why did Haitians overthrow their colonial rulers?
- What was the reason behind the Haitian president’s agreement to France’s demands for reparations?
- How was Haiti’s economy affected by these payments?
- Who pushed the U.S. State Department to invade and occupy Haiti in the early 1900s?
Focus Questions
In 2004, the Haitian president urged France to return the billions of dollars Haiti was forced to pay to preserve their independence. Do you think this should occur? How would this aid Haiti today?
Media Literacy: How can you find more information about Haiti’s history that wasn’t included in this segment?
Additional Resource
See this explainer from AJ+:
Republished with permission from PBS NewsHour Classroom.
PBS NewsHour Classroom helps teachers and students identify the who, what, where and why-it-matters of the major national and international news stories.
