Part II of II
Black Haitians were not it’s first inhabitants, but their history proves they are the only ones to pull themselves up by their bootstraps considering the odds & opposition they faced. geographic.org goes into Haiti’s indigenous tribe; the Taino indians. They were initially hospitable towards Christopher Columbus and his Spaniards until Columbus’ hordes became intolerant and abusive. This seems to have been a usual story with Columbus and the crew of his ship; the Santa Maria. (1492). Columbus would take a leave of absence and by the time he returned in 1493 the Taino were slaughtered. Until Euro/Spanish oppression and diseases the Taino population-estimated as high as 3 million by the time Columbus arrived-was down to 150 by 1550 (58 years later). After an attempt by the English to take over Tortuga, the French settled there in 1659 (under King Louis XIV). It was after the French arrived that African slaves emerged, estimated at 700,000 by 1791.
Violent conflicts between black slave groups (the most prominent were the Maroons) and white colonists were common well before the 1791 Haitian Revolution.
So thorough has Haiti’s economic marooning been, that today a number of Haitians are forced to literally eat mud. i.e. "mud cookies," a toxic mixture of clay, salt and butter baked in the sun according to the documentary "A Failed State." Haiti’s troubles isn’t that it’s just a dry land with no resources as many of us believed, all the necessary parts and elements are there to make them prosper except the simple desire to by those powerful enough to make a real difference. The ball just lies in the US court to make change and teach them how to fish for what already belongs to them.
