America and Haiti Essay - 3384 Words

America and Haiti The United States interest in Haiti, as mentioned above, began a huge increase in the first decade of the twentieth century. The extent of U. S. economic penetration was not as great as that of France and Germany, but by 1910 it controlled sixty percent of Haiti’s import industry. Unfortunately, the Haitian banking system did not follow this path and was, at this time, perilously close to domination by European interests. (Langley, 1982, 70) In an effort to gain more control over Haitian economic affairs, the United States engaged in a battle with France and Germany over the Banque Nationale. Two banks from the U. S. attempted to obtain control of the bank but lost out to a German bank, which proceeded to ally itself†¦show more content†¦As U. S. Secretary of State Philander Knox stated, If hostilities between rival factions become imminent, define neutral zone and prevent fighting in the city. Land forces if necessary, safeguard American interests, and in general pre vent any action detrimental to foreign interests. (Challener, 333) However, the predicted time bomb of Haiti never went off, and the situation was left for Taft’s successor Woodrow Wilson to deal with. The Wilson Administration also saw political instability as Haiti’s primary and immediate problem. Between 1911 and U. S. military intervention in 1915, seven Haitian presidents had either been assassinated or removed from office by force. This lack of stability gave the United States yet one more excuse to get involved in Haitian matters – in order to keep European powers at bay and from taking advantage of the politically vulnerable state. In creating his Haitian political agenda, Wilson relied—to a great extent—on the advice of Banque Nationale’s American manager Roger Farnham. As stated above, Farnham and the Banque had a great deal of power over the Haitian executives. When consulted by Wilson, Farnham deduced that American business would leave the republic unless the United States intervened to protect it. (Langley, 1982, 71) Though this was certainly not the deciding factor in the intervention of the U. S., it certainly helped direct American policy down that particular path, making intervention increasinglyShow MoreRelatedHaiti Is Located In Central America, And Is Also Bordered1506 Words   |  7 PagesHaiti is located in Central America, and is also bordered by the Caribbean Sea. The size of the country is comparable to the state of Maryland in the United States; however, it is marginally smaller. As of July 2016, the estimated population was 10,485,800. (CIA) Haiti is probably most well known for being the location where a devastating earthquake hit. This earthquake took place in 2010, and it killed more than 200,000 people. 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