Haitian

HAITIAN

“Haiti is an island that was explored by Columbus on Dec. 6, 1492, Haiti's native Arawaks fell victim to Spanish rule. In 1697, Haiti became the French colony of Saint-Dominique, which became a leading sugarcane producer dependent on slaves. In 1791, an insurrection erupted among the slave population of 480,000, resulting in a declaration of independence by Pierre-Dominique Toussaint l'Ouverture in 1801. Napoléon Bonaparte suppressed the independence movement, but it eventually triumphed in 1804 under Jean-Jacques Dessalines, who gave the new nation the Arawak name Haiti. It was the world's first independent black republic. Haiti, in the West Indies, occupies the western third of the island of Hispaniola, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. About the size of Maryland, Haiti is two-thirds mountainous, with the rest of the country marked by great valleys, extensive plateaus, and small plains.” (Infoplease)

The history of Haitian immigration to the United States is chronicled, focusing on the American social context and the Haitian response to it. Four periods are distinguished:

* “1957-64, when the majority of Haitian immigrants were from the political and economic elite, intending to stay temporarily, and eventually losing their sense of ethnic identification.” (www.eric.ed.gov)

* “1965-72, when a wave of politically disaffected immigrants coincided with an ethnic revival of Haitian culture, encouraging preservation of ethnic identity.” (www.eric.ed.gov)

* “1972-82, characterized by lessened efforts toward ethnic organization, polarization over language issues, anti-immigrant sentiment caused by a worsening economic situation, and internment in camps.” (www.eric.ed.gov)

* “1982-86, beginning with the designation of Haitians as a group at risk for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), and including the group's realization that its future was in the United States.” (www.eric.ed.gov)

“Following President Kennedy's...