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Social class played the most prominent role in Haiti’s economics, social, and political powers because the United States and the 5 percent of wealthy elites controlled everything from the economy to what languages were spoken.

After establishing itself using the treaty changing and constitution, the U.S. began to build the infrastructure of Haiti in a way that allowed it to gain as much as it could from Haiti.

To make trade and travel more accessible for U.S. commercial companies, they forced Corvee labor onto Haitians to fix and construct new roads, and if they didn’t, they were killed.

The U.S., while occupying Haiti, suppressed all and any political groups that were against them, like the Cacos, and to do that, they denounced them, killed their leader, and displayed his body in the open.

The U.S. government worked with the Catholic Church in the suppression of Vodou and went through the countryside and destroyed religious artifacts.

To make the already existing catholicism the dominant religion throughout all of Haiti and not just a religion primarily practiced by only the wealthy.

The upper class wanted to change the narrative that Haiti wasn’t civilized, so they banned voudou and any religious dances; only social vodou dances would be allowed, Resulting in imprisonment for six months if violated.

All of what the U.S. does in Haiti is very similar, if not the same, as what the French did when Haiti was under colonial rule.

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French was the only acceptable language to be spoken when you weren’t in your home, and the lower class only spoke Krèyol or Creole.

The mass illiteracy in the lower class was one of the barriers that barred them from understanding all of the systems and policies put into place by the United States during its occupation of Haiti.

Keeping them in the dark the entire time while their economy, government, and politics were being controlled entirely by the United States, making them pawns in their own country.

The illiteracy also stopped the lower-class Haitians from being able to fully expose the United States and the atrocities that it committed on the Haitian people and the Corvee labor they endured because they couldn’t document it or know the processes of reporting a government official.

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The economic development of Haiti was under The U.S.’s control. From 1915 to 1934, the U.S. implemented extreme measures to exert power over Haitian land and government.

They gained control by drafting and implementing a new constitution for the country. One notable change in the new constitution was allowing foreigners to own land in Haiti.

A specific power tactic that they used was forced labor and the Corvée system.

Even after the abolishment of slavery during the Haitian Revolution, the Haitians were not free. The Corvée system, if not identical, was very similar to slavery.

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Vodou is an Afro-Haitian religion practiced by many Haitians. Vodou had and still has very discriminating connotations in the West. In America, people would associate Vodou with sorcery and only see the religion as harmful.

In reality, Haitians who practice Vodou believed in giving thanks to spirits and gods through community-based outlets, ie. dance, ritual, and prayer.

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In September 1935, President Sténio Vincent enforced "Anti-superstition Laws" in Haiti

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In September 1935, President Sténio Vincent enforced "Anti-superstition Laws" in Haiti

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In a political aspect, the government did not see Vodou as helping Haitian society progress towards a more “civilized society" because of its negative connotations and unique rituals.

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1. "... the fact of having in one's residence cabalistic objects serving to exploit the credulity or the naïveté of the public."

2. "Any individual convinced of said superstitious practices shall be sentenced to imprisonment for six months and a fine of four hundred gourdes."

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The United States Occupants have "take[en] advantage of [the] civil unrest,” and appointed themselves somewhat in control over Haitian commerce.

“Only one side of the story is heard abroad, that given by U.S. newspapers.”

Along with that most of the government is now being taken into the hands of US men of law who carry authority in the US as former judges supreme of the supreme  court, law professors, etc. These people stand for the US occupation in Haiti.

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The US military also had big control over the access that the Haitian people had by taking control of the ports and imports of resources from other nations.

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They had religious control by making Christianity the main religion of the Island and banning any form of “superstitious practices”

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The US military held a lot of power over their own personal.

They would send their troops out to find poor black people with little governmental power who they could use as “carovées”, which were the equivalent of a slave, and threaten to fire or demote their own people if they didn’t accomplish their task:

“if [they] didn’t come back with at least thirty men, [US Marine] Lang would demote [them].”

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The Nominated President Philippe Sudré Dartiguenave by the U.S Government 

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The Nominated President Philippe Sudré Dartiguenave by the U.S Government 

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The US military used fear tactics to gain more control over their people and the people of Haiti. A main example of that is what they did to Charlemagne Péralte.

Charlemagne led the revolt against the US occupation over Haiti beginning in 1915 when US occupation officially began until he was killed in late 1919. The US military found and killed Charlemagne with no consequences and displayed his dead body to show the rest of the resistance that they had the power and they could do what they wanted as a form of psychological power over the Haitians.

Although that was their intention it did work against them as many people looked up to Charlemagne and now say him and his death as a symbol of the freedom they hope to have from the US Occupation in Haiti

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Roumain was an influential writer and political activist and was one of the leading figures during the U.S. occupation

Roumain argued that although color prejudice was a reality in Haiti, the true problem hiding behind it was class warfare and the mass exploitation of middle and lower class Haitians

"Exposing the economic oppression that has a social and political ripple effect"

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Herman Henry Hanneken (Stories Of Sacrifice) 

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Herman Henry Hanneken (Stories Of Sacrifice) 

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" For extraordinary heroism and conspicious gallantry and intrepidity in actual conflict the enemy near Grande Riviere, Republic of Haiti, on the night from 31 october to 1 November 1919, resulting in the death of Charlemagne Peralte, the supreme bandit chief in the Republic of Haiti, and the killing, capture, and the disposal of about 1200 of his outlaw followers"

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Articles From Haiti Constitution Of June 12, 1918

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Articles From Haiti Constitution Of June 12, 1918

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Art 4: "All foreigners who find themselves on Haitian territory shall enjoy the same protection as that extended to Haitians."

Art 6: "Every Haitian citizen over 21 years of age shall be entitled to exercise political rights, if he has other qualifications required by the constitution and by law. Foreigners may acquire the Haitian nationality by following the rules established by law. Naturalized Haitians shall be admitted to the exercise of political rights only after five years of residence in the territory of the Republic."

Art 118: "An armed force to be known as the Gendarmerie d'Haïti shall be established to preserve order, guarantee the rights of the people, and police the cities and country. It shall be the only armed force of the Republic."

Special Article: "All the acts of the Government of the United States during its military occupation of Haiti are ratified and validated"

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Anti Superstition Laws ( Sténio Vincent, President Of The Republic)

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Anti Superstition Laws ( Sténio Vincent, President Of The Republic)

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" With regard to Articles 21 and 30 of the constitution: Considering that the state has a duty to prevent the performance of arts, practices, etc. liable to foster superstitious beliefs harmful to the good name of the country"

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1915 Treaty Between The United States and Haiti (Robert Beale Davis Jr. and Louis Borno)

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1915 Treaty Between The United States and Haiti (Robert Beale Davis Jr. and Louis Borno)

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" While the Haitian president retained the right to fill governemnet posts, for instance, it was the U.S president who would nominate canidates for those positions, thus controlling the process."

Art 2: "The President of Haiti shall appoint, upon nomination by the President of the United States, a General Receiver and such aids and employees as may be necessary, who shall collect, receive and apply all customs duties on imports and exports accruing at the several custom houses and ports of entry of the Republic of Haiti."

Art 12: The Haitian Government agrees to execute with the United States a protocol for the settlement, by arbitration or otherwise, of all pending pecuniary claims of foreign corporations, companies citizens or subjects against Haiti.

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" The other very distinct element embraces 95 percent or more of the entire population. They constitute the peasant class. They can neither read nor write. They have no conception of government. They have been the pawns of the governing class."

"In 1917 the commander of the occupation, in collaboration with the Haitian Government, invoked the Haitian law requiring the inhabitants to work upon the highways. This was the forced labor or covee upon the roads. "

" The french prior to 1800 had built about 550 miles of public roads in Haiti"

"French is the official language of Haiti and French customs prevail as well as the practice of sending the children of wealthy Haitian families to France for their education"

" That the testimony of most native witnesses is highly unreliable and must be closely scrutinized and that many unfounded accusations have been made. It is also felt that in the case of accusations of abuses committed two years ago now made for the first time, the delay has not arisen through ant well grounded fear of oppression by military oppression"

" In such cases the delay in making the charges and in the presenting the evidence weighs heavily against the truth of the charge. All such charges, however, require full investigation"

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"First, the work isn't paid.

Second, you work under the sun, with nothing but a scrap of pants on.

Third, they don't send you home if you are sick.

Fourth, you don't eat enough, just corn and congo peas.

Fifth, you sleep in a prison or at the construction site.

Sixth, when you try and escape they kill you.

So that, isn't that slavery?"

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Art. 5.: “The right to own real estate shall be given to foreigners residing in Haiti... for the purpose of residence, agricultural commercial, industrial or educational enterprises. “

Art. 14.: “The right of property is guaranteed. No one shall be deprived of his property except by reason of public utility... Property shall not be confiscated for political reasons.”

Although here the property they are referring to is their slaves, this could also be true for land and real estate.

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What role did the part in the constitution about letting outside people use the land play in determining how the US could use Haitian land?

What larger role do you think Vodou played in the occupation era resistance, leading to your large emphasis on it?

How did resistance to each aspect of the US occupation (indirect through political meddling and treatises, and direct military intervention) manifest during the era, and how did they each impact Haitian independence from the US?

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What was still allowed after the Anti-superstition Laws

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What was still allowed after the Anti-superstition Laws

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Vincent did allow “the rural peasantry to have fun organizing dances, according to local customs,” just as long as they had no religious link to them. So, traditional Vodou dances were allowed to take place but they were not allowed to be associated with the religion anymore.

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Control

The control the foreign colonizers have over Haiti and the people either from Haiti or they brought to Haiti for slaves. Not only did they have control over the people but also the government. They were careful to create laws that would benefit them and not the Haitians or the slaves they had control over. "The repressive laws were not made for the colonists, and especially not for the big planters; everything was permitted them."(The Colonial System Unveiled)

Misinformation

Misinformation being sent to other countries and the lack of actual information of what is going on in Haiti. Colonizers have been shown to have a way to cover up their actions with the power they hold and the people they are allied with. "[The historians who have written about the colonies] have entered into the greatest detail regarding crops, climate, the rural economy, but they have been careful not to rend the veil for crimes of their accomplices."(The Colonial System Unveiled)