Realizing most of us know little about Haiti and how it got to be the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, and put off by how the media portray the country, Brown Man of the Brown Man Thinking Hard blog put together an informative video.
We think Brown Man has done an impressive job on his first venture in video production. Invest a few minutes learning about Haiti’s history and see if you agree.
It took courage and determination for 19th-century Haitians to defy France and throw off the yoke of slavery. How unjust that they spent so long having to pay reparations for their own freedom and independence.
Damn I wish I could remember where I read an excellent post that connected the US to Haiti in such a way as to suggest that since the Haitians were in league with the Devil, so too the US as we have benefited significantly from Haiti’s poverty.
I knew bits and pieces of the history, but Brown Man Thinking Hard filled in a few holes. Thanks for posting it.
I can understand the fear a free Haiti put into the slave owning countries and colonies, didn’t realize there was such a financial conspiracy.
Excellent information. “The original payday loan” — that pretty well sums it up.
Like Holte said, I didn’t think there was that much financial conspiring back in those days. I thought everything was settled by armies and armadas.
This information definitely needs to reach as many people as possible. It won’t reach the jillions of couch potatoes who get all of their “news” from the TV, but the more people that know about this, the better. (Maybe.)
Very good. Very good indeed.
Thanks S.W.
Like with Holte, helping to fill in the many holes and blank spots in my knowledge !
Kvatch, the U.S. relationship with Haiti hasn’t always been helpful and benign by any means.
Holte, the 18th and 19th centuries were times when slavery was widely looked upon as legitimate business, as long as the slaves were from among what were deemed as inferior peoples. It was ghoulish and unconscionable, so financial conspiracy/extortion as a follw-up comes as no surprise.
Bee, Tom, Oso, glad you found it worthwhile, as I did.
I’d say Brown Man Thinking is pushing a dubious narrative of his own. Debts from the early 1800s are a pretty slim excuse for non performance.