A Brief History of Haiti (timeline)
1697 - Spanish control over the colony ends with the Treaty of Ryswick, which divided the island into French-controlled St. Domingue and Spanish-controlled Santo Domingo. As many as 700,000 African slaves live in Haiti by the end of the century.
1791 - A slave rebellion is launched by the Jamaican-born Boukman, which leads to a protracted 13-year war of liberation against the colonists.
1801 - Toussaint L’Ouverture, a former black slave who became an educated herb doctor and a military man, emerges as the leader of the former slaves in the north. He abolishes slavery and proclaims himself governor-general of an autonomous government.
1802 - Convention in Paris reintroduces slavery, which brings on more rebellions and massacres. Toussaint L’Ouverture is eventually betrayed by his officers, Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Henri Christophe, who opposed his policies which included reconciliation with the French. This begins the makings of civil war between the black-dominated north and the mulatto (or “mulat”) dominated south. L’Ouverture is subsequently exiled to France where he dies.
1803 - The Haitian blue and red flag is designed by taking the French tricolor, removing the white band and turning it on its side. The Battle of Vertières marks the ultimate victory of the former slaves over the French.
1804 - Jean-Jacques Dessalines restores the original name of the country and proclaims the Independent Black Republic of Haiti (the first independent country of former slaves in the world).
1806 - Dessalines, unpopular with the mulattos, is assassinated. His death leads to civil war again between the south (under General Alexandre Pétion) and the north (under Henri Christophe).
1807-1810 – The "Guerre du Múle" begins. Civil war racks the country, which divides into the northern kingdom of Henri Christophe and the southern republic governed by Alexandre Pétion.
1820 - Henri Christophe commits suicide by shooting himself with a silver bullet; he had been a tyrannical ruler, crowning himself "king", and building a palace and citadel (at Cap-Haïtien in the north) at great cost to Haitian lives. At his death, Haiti is taken over by General Jean-Pierre Boyer and civil war ceases.
1821 - President Boyer invades Santo Domingo following its declaration of independence from Spain. The entire island is now controlled by Haiti.
1838 - France recognizes Haitian independence in exchange for a financial indemnity of 150 million francs. Slave-holding nations, including the United States, shun Haiti for almost 40 years, fearful that its example may stir unrest among their slaves. Over the next few decades Haiti is forced to take out loans of 70 million francs to repay the indemnity and gain international recognition.
1843 - During the next 72 years (until 1915) Haiti sees 22 heads of state, most of whom leave office by violent means. Rivalry continues among the whites, the mulatto elite, and the blacks.
1915 - The US invades Haiti following black vs. mulatto friction, which it thought endangered its property and investments in the country. President Woodrow Wilson orders the U.S. Marines to occupy Haiti and establish control over customs-houses and port authorities. The occupying Americans create the Haitian National Guard.
1919 – Haitian Nationalist leader and US-invasion opposer Charlemagne Péralte is assassinated by Marines for leading peasant resistance to the occupiers. Haitians continue to oppose US presence for the next 19 years.
1934 - US withdraws troops from Haiti, but maintains fiscal control until 1947. The Haitian Armed Forces are left in place throughout the country.
1956 - "Voodoo physician” Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier seizes power in a military coup.
1957 - After several attempts to move forward democratically ultimately fail, military controlled elections lead Dr. François Duvalier to victory. The corrupt Duvalier dictatorship marks one of the saddest chapters in Haitian history, with tens of thousands killed or exiled. “Papa Doc” terrorized the country, rooting out any and all opponents to his administration.
1964 - "Papa-Doc" Duvalier changes the constitution and declares himself President-for-Life. He forms the infamous paramilitary Tonton Makout, which means "uncle boogeyman" in Creole.
1971 - "Papa-Doc" dies in office after naming his 19 year-old son Jean-Claude (also known as “Baby Doc”) as his successor. By this time Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere (and remains so to this day).
1972 - The first Haitian "boat people" flee the country and land in Florida, a southern state of the US.
1976 - Widespread protests take place against repression of the nation's press.
1970s - "Baby-Doc" Duvalier exploits international assistance and seeks to attract investment leading to the establishment of textile-based assembly industries. Attempts by workers and political parties to organize are quickly and regularly crushed.
1980 - Hundreds of human rights workers, journalists and lawyers are arrested and exiled from the country.
1981 - International aid agencies declare Haitian pigs to be carriers of African Swine Fever and institute a program for their slaughter. Attempts to replace indigenous swine with imported breeds largely fail.
1983 - Pope John Paul II visits Haiti and declares publicly that, "Things must change here."
1984 - Over 200 peasants are massacred at Jean-Rabeau after demonstrating for access to land. The Haitian Bishops Conference launches a nationwide (but short-lived) literacy program. Anti-government riots take place in all major towns.
1985 - Massive, anti-government demonstrations continue to take place around the country until four school children are shot dead by soldiers, an event which unifies popular protest against the regime.
1986 - "Baby Doc" Duvalier flees Haiti to France in the wake of mounting popular discontent and is replaced by Lieutenant-General Henri Namphy as head of a new National Governing Council. The Duvalier regime collapses under “Operation Deschoukay.”
1987 - A new Constitution is overwhelmingly approved by the population in March. General elections in November are aborted hours after they begin. Dozens of people are shot by soldiers and the Tonton Makout in the capital, Port-au-Prince, many more in the countryside.
1988 - Military-controlled elections -- widely abstained from -- result in the installation of Leslie Manigat as president. Manigat is ousted four months later in a coup led by Brigadier-General Prosper Avril. who installs a civilian government under military control.
1989 - President Avril, on a trade mission to Taiwan, returns empty-handed after grassroots-based democratic sectors inform Taiwanese authorities that the Haitian nation will not be responsible for any contracts agreed to by Avril. Angry, Avril orders massive repression against political parties, unions, students and democratic organizations.
1990 - Avril declares a state of siege in January. Rising protests and urging from the American Ambassador convince Avril to resign. A Council of State forms out of negotiations among democratic sectors, charged with running a Provisional Government led by Supreme Court Justice Ertha Pascal-Trouillot. U.S. Vice-President Dan Quayle visits Haiti and tells Army leaders, "No more coups." Assistance is sought from the Organization of American States (OAS) and the United Nations (UN) to help organize general elections in December. In a campaign marred by occasional violence and death, democratic elections finally take place on December 16, 1990. Jean-Bertrand Aristide (a parish priest well known throughout the country for his support of the poor) is elected in a landslide victory.
1991 - Duvalierist holdover and Tonton Makout Dr. Roger Lafontant attempts a coup d'état to prevent Father Aristide's ascension to power. The Armed Forces remove Lafontant from the National Palace following a massive popular protest. President Aristide is inaugurated on February 7th. A government is formed by Prime Minister René Préval promising to uproot the corruption of the past. Over $500 million is promised in aid by the international community. In September President Aristide addresses the UN General Assembly. Three days after his return, military personnel with financial backing from neo-Duvalierist sectors and their international allies unleash a coup d'état, ousting President Aristide. Over 1,000 people are killed in the first days of the coup. The OAS (Organization of American States) calls for a hemisphere-wide embargo that would last three years against the coup regime in support of the deposed constitutional authorities.
1993 - Exiled President Aristide continues to work for restoration of the legitimate government and for sanctions against the coup regime. Within Haiti, human rights violations continue, and several key Aristide supporters are executed.
1994 - A multinational force lands in Haiti; coup leaders agree to step down and leave the country. In October, Aristide returns to Haiti to serve out his term of office, facilitated by the US military and UN troops.
1995 - UN peacekeepers begin to replace US troops; Aristide supporters win parliamentary elections; Rene Préval is elected in December to replace Aristide as president.
1996 - President Préval is inaugurated in February. A government is formed under Prime Minister Rosny Smarth. Agricultural production, administrative reform, and economic modernization are announced as the government's priorities.
1997 - UN troops begin withdrawal. Rivalries within Aristide’s ruling coalition, the Lavalas Political Organization, increase. Prime Minister Rosny Smarth resigns, but remains in office. Elections marked by fraud. Economic and political recovery as well as international aid programs are affected.
1999 - Préval declares that parliament's term has expired and begins ruling by decree following a series of disagreements with deputies.
2000 - In November Aristide is elected president for a second, non-consecutive term.
2001 - In July, a presidential spokesman accuses former army officers of trying to overthrow the government after armed men attack three locations, killing four police officers.
2002 - Haiti is approved as a full member of the Caribbean Community (CariCom) trade bloc.
2004 - Celebrations marking 200 years of independence are marred by violent uprisings against President Aristide. Haiti is hit by tropical storm Jeanne. Nearly 3,000 are killed in flooding in the north. Rebels seize towns and cities; dozens are killed. Mr. Aristide is forced into exile; an interim government takes over. UN peacekeepers arrive to take over security duties from US-led forces and to help flood survivors. International donors pledge more than $1 billion in aid.
2005 - Hurricane Dennis kills at least 45 people. Prominent rebel leader, Ravix Remissainthe, is killed by police in the capital.
2006 - General elections, the first since former President Aristide was overthrown in 2004. Rene Préval is declared the winner of the presidential vote after a deal is reached over spoiled ballot papers. He nominates Jacques-Edouard Alexis as Prime Minister (his second term, Preval had nominated him as Prime Minister in 1998)
2008 – In August, Hurricane Gustav slams Haiti. A succession of other storms leave hundreds dead within 30 days. In September, Préval nominates a new Prime Minister, Michele Pierre-Louis, after former Prime Minister Alexis was dismissed following riots due to high food prices.
2009 - Former US President Bill Clinton is appointed UN special envoy to Haiti. In July, World Bank and International Monetary Fund cancel 80% of Haiti's debt -- $1.2 billion -- after judging it to have fulfilled economic reform and poverty reduction conditions. Economist Jean-Max Bellerive becomes prime minister, after Michele Pierre-Louis was removed.
2010 - A 7.0 magnitude earthquake strikes 14 miles west of Port-au-Prince. Thousands are killed. The National Palace and many other government buildings are damaged or collapse. International relief efforts begin immediately.
