Mind-Boggling Facts About Haiti You Probably Didn’t Know

Haiti now is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. But before it became a country of its own, it was a colony of France. This colony was the wealthiest in the world, thanks to the oppressive slavery practiced there.

You may know that France was America's most helpful ally during the American War of Independence. A key player in their aid to the United States was the little colony of Saint Domingue, the former name of Haiti. Through Saint Domingue, France sent money, weapons, and soldiers to the United States and helped win the war.

Of course, the Haitian soldiers who fought in the States came back with ideas of freedom in their heads.

The United States was the first country to establish itself in the Americas, making them the oldest country in the Western Hemisphere. Haiti, of course, was the second.

From 1791 to 1804, Toussaint L'Ouverture led a slave rebellion which kicked the French out of the country. In 1804, Haiti cemented its place in world history by being the second country to declare independence in the Western Hemisphere. More importantly, they were the first to abolish slavery.

Sadly, the little free country still faced a lot of instability and injustice. For example, the United States refused to recognize Haiti's independence for 60 years.

It's no surprise that France was not happy to lose their wealthiest colony. Haiti produced luxury items from coffee to cotton, and France expected the newly-freed slaves to pay them back.

With a fleet of heavily-armed warships, France demanded Haiti repay them millions in lost income, which comes out to an incredible $21 billion in today's currency. It took Haiti 122 years to finally pay France back the cost for their freedom, often with contributions from poor Haitians.

But the repayment hung heavy over Haiti's head and caused lasting instability and poverty in the country.

Freedom for Haitians did not result in the perfect republic its founders had envisioned. Their independence resulted in a parade of emperors, kings, and dictators who were rapidly replaced by their successors.

Political unrest was so regular in Haiti that it was not until 1990, nearly 200 years after independence, that they had their first free election. Sadly, a military coup ousted this president just a year later.

The vast majority of countries in the Caribbean and Latin America speak their own dialect of Spanish, as well as various indigenous languages. People of Haiti predominantly speak Haitian Creole. Creole is a combination of French and some African languages. This language developed its vocabulary and syntax from slaves working on plantations and developed based on an isolated version of French.

It is the most commonly spoken language in Haiti, as 95 percent of Haitians speak it. Creole has been an official language of Haiti since 1987.

As far as organized religions go, Haiti is prominently Catholic. And more than 75 percent of Haitians practice some variant of the Christian faith. But another belief system pervades the country, known as Vodou.

Even at Christian graves, symbols of Vodou decorate the headstones. Images and statues of Catholic saints pull double duty as loa, the spirits of Vodou. This is one of the main ways we can see that Vodou has become a multicultural religion.

Vodou and its loa were born of African religions brought over on slave ships. Now, Haitians burn candles in caves that were sacred to the Taino. By this, three traditions combine into one purely Haitian Vodou.

With Haiti's position as the wealthiest colony in the world, it makes sense that Cap-Francais, the former capital of the colony, was a center of culture. This city, full of wealthy slaveowners and enterprising merchants, was as large as any major city in the American colonies.

Alongside goods including indigo and cotton, Cap-Francais exported art and culture. It spread around the Caribbean and East Coast of what is now the United States. Because of its position as a center of European slaveholders in Haiti, Cap-Francais became a place of regular conflict during the revolution.