The diplomatic relationship between the United States and Haiti, 1862--1900

Throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, racism was a dominant issue in America's internal affairs, and European encroachment in the Western Hemisphere was the focal point of its external affairs. Americans were particularly protective of Central America and the Caribbean where they hoped to construct an isthmian canal and naval bases. An independent Haiti incited racism and concerns for national security. Known as the black republic because it was the only nation in the Americas where slaves freed themselves and claimed to be descendents of Africa, Haiti evoked intense hatred from most Americans, especially Southerners. Simultaneously, the Mole St. Nicholas, a Haitian bay, oversaw the windward passage which guards Central America.; This study's major sources are government documents from the United States and Haiti. It suggests racism usually dictated U.S. diplomacy toward Haiti. Strategic concerns peaked only during eminent crises. Racism encouraged American officials to use fraudulent lawsuits filed by criminals and con artists to limit Haiti's ability to control its internal affairs. Usually, American plaintiffs only had to claim, without offering proof, that they had been brutalized by "bestial" Haitians to win reparations. Ironically, Americans seldom capitalized on the concessions for which they fought, thus allowing Europeans to become their main beneficiaries. In 1915, during World War I, when Americans feared Germany would occupy Haiti, U.S. forces invaded the black republic and remained there until 1934. Ironically, had Americans not compromised the authority of Haiti's government, it might have been able to withstand pressure from Germany without a costly intervention from the United States.