Haiti’s Founding Fathers
This chapter focuses on Haiti's first generation of leaders. Some scholars have characterized these men as originating the economic and political morass into which the country later slid. Leading the first nation in the world to throw off slave shackles and only the second to achieve independence from colonialism, their achievements should be considered in light of the tools available and the hostility of the international community. These leaders were aware that Haiti's independence and nationhood were symbols of racial uplift and proof of racial equality, but they were also aware that world opinion and economic viability were crucial to its fortunes. Thus, these early leaders actively worked to bring African Americans to the island as part of their nation-building efforts.