United States - Haiti Observer Blog

This is a little-known fact in history that Haiti played an important role in U.S. independence. In December 1778, with the capture of Savannah in Georgia by the British forces, the about-to-be-formed United States lost one of its important and good sources of finance. The U.S Major General Benjamin badly needed a little hand in regaining this port. The French came forward to the aid of future United States of America and sent one Frenchman, Charles Henri d'Estaing to the rescue. On October 9, 1779, a force comprised of American, French, and free Haitian soldiers under the leadership of d'Estaing laid siege on the city in an attempt to oust the British from their Southern stronghold. D'Estaing, the French General, had an army of about 800 (or 1,500, historians differ out of total 3,500 troops) mulattoes and black Haitians who shed their blood in the effort of the French and Americans to recover Savannah from the British. Those gallant soldiers were known as Chasseurs-Volontaires de Saint-Domingue.

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Following the recent protest in Haiti, The US embassy in Haiti has contacted the State Department and requested additional security personnel.

We were informed that the request has been granted and as a result, approximately 13 Marines, as well as other security personnel are already heading to Haiti to reinforce the current staff of the US Marines Corps and State Department security personnel already in place there.

The United States Marines are one of the four branches of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting amphibious operations with the U.S Navy. On July 28, 1915, when Woodrow Wilson was the U.S President, the United States occupation of Haiti began with the landing of 330 Marines. This July intervention took place following the murder of Haitian dictator President Jean Vilbrun Guillaume. He was killed by some insurgents angered by his political executions of elite opposition. Historically, the first batch of the USS Montana disembarked on the Haitian soil more than one year earlier, on January 27, 1914. The U.S occupation in Haiti ended on August 1, 1934, after President Franklin D. Roosevelt reaffirmed an August 1933 disengagement agreement.

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OPEN LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES - A MATTER OF GRATITUDE AND RESPECT

Boca Raton, Florida
January 2018
President Donald Trump
The White House
Washington, D.C.

Mr. President, several years ago, I wrote an open letter to President Ronald Reagan on behalf of Haitian expatriates fleeing the murderous Duvalier regime who were seeking refuge in our country but were being deported. A similar situation is occurring today with the presence here under temporary protection status granted by President Obama of some of the victims of the terrible earthquake that killed 300,000, wounded thousands, left more than a million homeless and destroyed the infrastructures of many areas. After that disaster and the non-delivery of most of the international help that was offered, Haiti is far from recovering. To add insult to pain and suffering, you have reportedly qualified Haitians and their nation with a vulgar, blatantly mean expletive. Should you and your Government decide to deport them, Mr. President, they and their nation at least deserve respect and an apology. Many have been the arguments invoked in favor of allowing those few people to remain here - compassion, justice, human rights, protection of lives, family unification, etc. Unfortunately, all that is being defeated in the name of "law and order" and "defense of our borders". I am taking the initiative to write to you, Mr. President, not just as a request for compassion or justice, but also in defense of the honor of my native Haiti, a glorious country whose epopee is the most heroic in History, a nation to whom the whole world and the United-States in particular owe a debt of gratitude.

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In 1802, the United States found out Spain secretly ceded the Louisiana Territory to France. US president Thomas Jefferson felt that was a threat since the produce of three-eighths of the territory must pass through New Orleans to get to market.

After the Haitian revolution, Napoleon felt that France no longer needed to use New Orleans as a port to supply or defend the Caribbean colony. Also the war in Saint-Domingue(Haiti) had taken the live of more than 40,000 French soldiers. A historic deal was struck to sell the Louisiana Territory where the US paid $219 million in today's dollars to France for the acquisition of 828,800 square acres and control of the Mississippi

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The Haitian revolution that started in August in 1791, defeated Napoleon's army in 1803 in what has become known as the most successful slave revolt in history.

This Haitian revolution created the first independent state in Latin America and the first black-led nation in the world. One of the many beneficiaries of this successful revolt is the United States of America.

Before the Haitian Revolution, Saint-Domingue(Haiti), the must successful colony for France at the time was furnishing 40 percent of the world's sugar.

Haiti played a critical role in the independence of the United states. As an allied to America during the American revolution, France used Saint-Domingue(Haiti) as a critical way station for French military assistance to United States. In addition, thousands of French troops from Saint-Domingue helped take Savannah.

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Just one week after extending TPS to Haitians for just 6 more months, US Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly has decided to visit Haiti to evaluate the situation in the country for himself.

According to source close to the White House, John Kelly will be in Haiti on Wednesday, May 31 for just four hours. He will remain on the ground of the Haitian Palace to meet with Haitian President Jovenel Moïse and senior officials of the government

Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., wrote to Kelly on May 22 to invite him to go to Haiti in order to assess the condition of the country and its ability to absorb the Haitian deportees back to Haiti

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Many people think American celebrate Fourth of July because it was the day they received their Independence from England. No that is not the case. On July 4, 1776, thirteen English colonies declared themselves independence from England and the British Crown. They formed a new nation called the United States of America. The day that the decision was made by the thirteen original colonies , July 4th, has since been reserved as the day American people celebrate this historic event.

The thirteen original colonies were:
Delaware,
Pennsylvania,
New Jersey,
Georgia,
Connecticut,
Massachusetts Bay,
Maryland,
South Carolina,
New Hampshire,
Virginia,
New York,
North Carolina,
Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.

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Kenneth Merten, the Special Coordinator for Haiti at the State Department made his opinion known aw he was being questioned on the Voice of America. In regard to the the findings of the Commission (CIEVE) and possible election revamping, he declared: "We have always said we are concerned that the work of this Commission make more complicated and longer the electoral process. But if the people of Haiti is comfortable with the work of this Commission that not bother us". In regard to actual funding of the election, the Special Coordinator stated that his country has not yet made a decision.

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On May 31, 206 at a daily press briefing in Washington where the spokesman for the State Department John Kirby was responding to questions on the position of the US Government, following the recommendation of the Verification Commission to redo the Presidential election.

" This is a Haitian-led process, the longer it takes for Haiti to have a democratically elected president, the longer it's going to take for the United States to consider new elements of partnership in helping Haiti confront the mounting economic, climate, and health challenges that they continue to face today."

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The Republican National Committee is scheduled to start running a series of ads in an effort to attract non-white voters in 2016. Pierry, the son of Haitian immigrants from Queens, is in on of those ads. The Republican party realized how poorly they did in 2012 when they only got 6 percent of the African-American vote and 27 percent of the Hispanic vote. they are hoping that with these ads, more minority groups will be voting for them. However, recent comments made by GOP candidate Donald Trump about immigrants, Mexicans, women, Muslims and other groups have not been helpful to the party.

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