Tuesday, May 28, 2013

U.S. Intervention in Haiti

Haiti, 1920:

10 years ago an international consortium of banks refinanced Haiti's international debt and seized control of the country's treasury. Four years later, in December of 1914, United States marines came to Haiti upon the bank's request to protect the national gold reserves. The gold was moved to the bank's New York vault. Eight months later, the marines once again stormed Port au Prince, claiming the need to protect foreign lives and property and under martial law subdued armed Haitian militia fighters. They began to train a new militia group which Charlemagne Peralte led a resistance movement against. Calling out to the French governemnt, he called President Wilson a hypocrite for preaching on the sovereignty of small nations while occupying Haiti. He urged all Haitians to resist the Americans.

Four years later, the occupation remains and the people are desperate. Each morning their is a new offense, poverty is widespread and the people are oppressed with taxes. They are unable to rebuild houses destroyed by fires they create. The constant insults upon their lives have rallied Haitians and unified them to a common cause. Anger towards America has fueled rebellion and the nation's people are just waiting for a leader to step in and direct it. Chants of, "Die for your country," "Long live Independence," and "Down with the Americans!" fill the streets. Even the youngest of children can reiterate, "President Wilson- traitor,bandit, trouble maker, and thief." The tension is pungent and the outrage is palpable. Haiti is a match just waiting to be struck.

Upon speaking to one native woman she spoke, " We were ready to accept this rule and follow its obligations, despite the threat to our autonomy and the dignity of our free and independent people. But the flase promises, given by the Yankees, when they invaded our land, brought in almost four years of continuous insults, incredible crimes, killings, theft and barbarian acts, the secrets of which are known only to Americans." Her dark eyes were then overtaken by a heat and she lowly whispered, "Today we lost patience adnd we reclaim our rights."

Haitians, kind and peaceful by nature, have bore the brunt of America's force for too long and have become intolerant of their barbarious acts. They are quick to acknowledge American fault and the cruelty they've been embraced with. the Yankees have brought ruin to this beautiful country and driven hopelessness into their spirits.

One thing rings loud and true amoungst the Haitians, they are prepared to give everything, sacrafice everything to liberate their nation from this oppression. They will bend no longer, bear no more; they will fight.

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Imperialism 5.9.13

Once again it has been too long my avid blog readers. Last week, we finished the unit on westward expansion and spent 3 days in class with the substitute working on our Oregon Trail simulations. Once again technology gave us some trouble but I really enjoyed the project and how mine turned out.

We have now moved on to imperialism in the United States. We are all familiar with the imperialism that occurred in Europe, but at least I have not heard much about it occurring here. We started by looking at the poem, "the White Man's Burden," and also the responses to it such as "The Black Man's Burden." European nations preached to Americans that it was their duty and god given purpose to spread their "good" ways to "lesser people." And following the Spanish-American war, that is exactly what they did. After this, America took over many Central American countries.

However, this wasn't the United States first encounter with imperialism. They had been dominating Native Americans since its establishment. By the time the Civil War was over and Andrew Jackson was elected president. With the worst of internal fighting over, people now focused their attention on expanding west and they were more than willing to step over anything or anyone to get there.

Westward expansion but mainly the moving of the Native Americans to make this possible became a highly disputed topic. Jackson was the main advocate for their relocation arguing that they are dying out in the east and this is exactly what the needed for a new start. Pretty much everyone else such as the judicial branch, Christian missionaries and the Indians themselves disagreed.

This however, did not stop Jackson. He implemented the Indian Removal Act, which even though it was found to be unconstitutional, but due to the presidents connections in congress he was not impeached. Even though he without a doubt deserved to be.