When France extorted Haiti – the greatest heist in history by National African-American Reparations

WhenFranceextortedHaiti – the greatestheistinhistory

AfterenduringdecadesofexploitationatthehandsoftheFrench,Haitisomehowendedup payingreparations – tothetuneofnearly$30 billionintoday’smoney

MuchofthereparationsdebatehasrevolvedaroundwhethertheUnitedStatesandtheUnitedKingdomshould nallycompensatesomeoftheircitizensfortheeconomicandsocialcostsofslaverythatstilllingertoday

Buttome,there’sneverbeenamoreclear-cutcaseforreparationsthanthatofHaiti

I’maspecialistoncolonialismandslavery,andwhatFrancedidtotheHaitianpeopleaftertheHaitianRevolution isaparticularlynotoriousexamplesofcolonialtheft Franceinstitutedslaveryontheislandinthe17thcentury, but,inthelate18thcentury,theenslavedpopulationrebelledandeventuallydeclaredindependence Yet, somehow,inthe19thcentury,thethinkingwentthattheformerenslaversoftheHaitianpeopleneededtobe compensated,ratherthantheotherwayaround

JustasthelegacyofslaveryintheUnitedStateshascreatedagrosseconomicdisparitybetweenBlackandwhite Americans,thetaxonitsfreedomthatFranceforcedHaititopay–referredtoasan“indemnity”atthetime–severelydamagedthenewlyindependentcountry’sabilitytoprosper

The cost of independence

HaitiofciallydeclareditsindependencefromFrancein1804 InOctober1806,thecountrywassplitintotwo, withAlexandrePétionrulinginthesouthandHenryChristopherulinginthenorth

DespitethefactthatbothofHaiti’srulerswereveteransoftheHaitianRevolution,theFrenchhadneverquite givenuponreconqueringtheirformercolony

In1814KingLouisXVIII,whohadhelpedoverthrowNapoléonearlierthatyear,sentthreecommissionerstoHaiti toassessthewillingnessofthecountry’srulerstosurrender Christophe,havingmadehimselfakingin1811, remainedobstinateinthefaceofFrance’sexposedplantobringbackslavery Threateningwar,themost prominentmemberofChristophe’scabinet,BarondeVastey,insisted,“Ourindependencewillbeguaranteedby thetipsofourbayonets!”

Incontrast,Pétion,therulerofthesouth,waswillingtonegotiate, hopingthatthecountrymightbeabletopayFranceforrecognition ofitsindependence

In1803,NapoléonhadsoldLouisianatotheUnitedStatesforUS$15 million Usingthisnumberashiscompass,Pétionproposedpaying thesameamount Unwillingtocompromisewiththoseheviewedas “runawayslaves,”LouisXVIIIrejectedtheoffer

Pétiondiedsuddenlyin1818,butJean-PierreBoyer,hissuccessor, keptupthenegotiations Talks,however,continuedtostalldueto Christophe’sstubbornopposition

“Anyindemnicationoftheex-colonists,”Christophe’sgovernment stated,was“inadmissible”

OnceChristophediedinOctober1820,Boyerwasabletoreunifythe twosidesofthecountry However,evenwiththeobstacleof Christophegone,Boyerrepeatedlyfailedtosuccessfullynegotiate France’srecognitionofindependence Determinedtogainat leastsuzeraintyovertheisland–whichwouldhavemadeHaitia protectorateofFrance–LouisXVIII’ssuccessor,CharlesX,rebuked thetwocommissionersBoyersenttoParisin1824totrytonegotiate anindemnityinexchangeforrecognition

OnApril17,1825,theFrenchkingsuddenlychangedhismind HeissuedadecreestatingFrancewouldrecognize Haitianindependencebutonlyatthepriceof150millionfrancs–oraround10timestheamounttheUS had paidfortheLouisianaterritory ThesumwasmeanttocompensatetheFrenchcolonistsfortheirlostrevenues fromslavery

BarondeMackau,whomCharlesXsenttodelivertheordinance,arrivedinHaitiinJuly,accompaniedbya squadronof14brigsofwarcarryingmorethan500cannons

Rejectionoftheordinancealmostcertainlymeantwar Thiswasnotdiplomacy Itwasextortion

Withthethreatofviolencelooming,onJuly11,1825,Boyersignedthefataldocument,whichstated,“Thepresent inhabitantsoftheFrenchpartofSt Domingueshallpay inveequalinstallments thesumof150,000,000 francs,destinedtoindemnifytheformercolonists”

French prosperity built on Haitian poverty

NewspaperarticlesfromtheperiodrevealthattheFrenchkingknewtheHaitiangovernmentwashardlycapable ofmakingthesepayments,asthetotalwasmorethan10timesHaiti’sannualbudget Therestoftheworld seemedtoagreethattheamountwasabsurd OneBritishjournalistnotedthatthe“enormousprice”constituted a“sumwhichfewstatesinEuropecouldbeartosacrice”

Forcedtoborrow30millionfrancsfromFrenchbankstomakethe rsttwopayments,itwashardlyasurprisetoanyonewhenHaiti defaultedsoonthereafter Still,thenewFrenchkingsentanother expeditionin1838with12warshipstoforcetheHaitianpresident’s hand The1838revision,inaccuratelylabeled“TraitédAmitié”–or “TreatyofFriendship”–reducedtheoutstandingamountowedto60 millionfrancs,buttheHaitiangovernmentwasonceagainorderedto takeoutcrushingloanstopaythebalance

Althoughthecolonistsclaimedthattheindemnitywouldonlycover one-twelfththevalueoftheirlostproperties,includingthepeople theyclaimedastheirslaves,thetotalamountof90millionfrancs wasactuallyvetimesFrance’sannualbudget

TheHaitianpeoplesufferedthebruntoftheconsequences ofFrance’stheft Boyerlevieddraconiantaxesinordertopayback theloans AndwhileChristophehadbeenbusydevelopinganational schoolsystemduringhisreign,underBoyer,andallsubsequent presidents,suchprojectshadtobeputonhold

Moreover,researchershavefoundthattheindependencedebtand theresultingdrainontheHaitiantreasuryweredirectlyresponsible notonlyfortheunderfundingofeducationin20th-centuryHaiti,but alsolackofhealthcareandthecountry’sinabilitytodeveloppublic infrastructure

Contemporaryassessments,furthermore,revealthatwiththe interestfromalltheloans,whichwerenotcompletelypaidoffuntil 1947,Haitiansendeduppayingmorethantwicethevalueofthe colonists claims Recognizingthegravityofthisscandal,French economistThomasPikettyacknowledgedthatFranceshouldrepayat least$28billiontoHaitiinrestitution

A debt that’s both moral and material

FormerFrenchpresidents,fromJacquesChirac,toNicolasSarkozy,toFrançoisHollande,haveahistory ofpunishing,skirtingordownplayingHaitiandemandsforrecompense

InMay2015,whenFrenchPresidentFrançoisHollandebecameonlyFrance’ssecondheadofstatetovisitHaiti, headmittedthathiscountryneededto“settlethedebt”Later,realizinghehadunwittinglyprovidedfuelforthe legalclaimsalreadypreparedbyattorneyIraKurzbanonbehalfoftheHaitianpeople–formerHaitian PresidentJean-BertrandAristidehaddemandedformalrecompensein2002–Hollandeclariedthathemeant France’sdebtwasmerely“moral”

TodenythattheconsequencesofslaverywerealsomaterialistodenyFrenchhistoryitself Francebelatedly

abolishedslaveryin1848initsremainingcoloniesofMartinique,Guadeloupe,RéunionandFrenchGuyana, whicharestillterritoriesofFrancetoday Afterwards,theFrenchgovernmentdemonstratedonceagainits understandingofslavery’srelationshiptoeconomicswhenittookituponitselftonanciallycompensatethe former“owners”ofenslavedpeople

Theresultingracialwealthgapisnometaphor InmetropolitanFrance141%ofthepopulationlivesbelowthe povertyline InMartiniqueandGuadeloupe,incontrast,wheremorethan80%ofthepopulationisofAfrican descent,thepovertyratesare38%and46%,respectively ThepovertyrateinHaitiisevenmoredireat59% And whereasthemedianannualincomeofaFrenchfamilyis$31,112,it’sonly$450foraHaitianfamily

ThesediscrepanciesaretheconcreteconsequenceofstolenlaborfromgenerationsofAfricansandtheir descendants AndbecausetheindemnityHaitipaidtoFranceistherstandonlytimeaformerlyenslaved peoplewereforcedtocompensatethosewhohadonceenslavedthem,Haitishouldbeatthecenteroftheglobal movementforreparations

Source: The Conversion

Featuredimage:HaitianPresidentJean-PierreBoyerreceivingCharlesX’sdecreerecognizingHaitian independenceonJuly11,1825 BibliothequeNationaledeFrance

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Therewasatimereparationswere actuallypaidout – justnotto formerlyenslavedpeople

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