American Financial Interest in Haiti
Part of Woodrow Wilson's campaign for president in 1913 included a public repudiation of William Taft's so-called "Dollar Diplomacy," yet within a few years Wilson would find it necessary to send American Marines to secure the tiny island nation of Haiti after U.S. financial interests had taken root there.
For years Haiti had endured annual revolutions that had simply become the way government was run. This state of organized instability in was the norm in Haiti for many years and during this strange cycle Haiti had failed to develop infrastructure and had incurred European debt. The nation went bankrupt, which frustrated the foreign owners of the Banque Nationale de la Republique d'Haiti and created a situation that would test America's Monroe Doctrine.
U.S. Secretary of State Philander Knox put together a Wall Street Consortium led by National City and purchased a controlling share in the Banque Nationale of Haiti in order to muscle aside the European owners.1 It was hoped that this would reduce tensions and the ease the temptation that Europe might feel to intervene.
Despite condemning Dollar Diplomacy prior to election, Wilson himself would continue it. Both Wilson and Taft believed that financial rehabilitation would lead to prosperity and stability in Haiti and prevent further crises. As a result U.S. citizens obtained rights to copper mines as well as the rights to construct a national road and railway system. Problematic for the people of Haiti was the fact that United States citizens now controlled key infrastructure instead of native Haitians. Naturally this would lead to resentment.
On the surface it would appear that the U.S. was simply allowing the flag to follow the dollar, but in reality the U.S. only secured shares of various industries out of fear of European pressure and involvement. American policy during the 1910s could be summed up easily: America's foreign policy was to get involved wherever there was a possibility of Europeans gaining any influence and to take that possibility away.
The US Invasion of Haiti
Part of Woodrow Wilson's campaign for president in 1913 included a public repudiation of William Taft's so-called "Dollar Diplomacy," yet within a few years Wilson would find it necessary to send American Marines to secure the tiny island nation of Haiti after U.S. financial interests had taken root there.
For years Haiti had endured annual revolutions that had simply become the way government was run. This state of organized instability in was the norm in Haiti for many years and during this strange cycle Haiti had failed to develop infrastructure and had incurred European debt. The nation went bankrupt, which frustrated the foreign owners of the Banque Nationale de la Republique d'Haiti and created a situation that would test America's Monroe Doctrine.
U.S. Secretary of State Philander Knox put together a Wall Street Consortium led by National City and purchased a controlling share in the Banque Nationale of Haiti in order to muscle aside the European owners.1 It was hoped that this would reduce tensions and the ease the temptation that Europe might feel to intervene.
Despite condemning Dollar Diplomacy prior to election, Wilson himself would continue it. Both Wilson and Taft believed that financial rehabilitation would lead to prosperity and stability in Haiti and prevent further crises. As a result U.S. citizens obtained rights to copper mines as well as the rights to construct a national road and railway system. Problematic for the people of Haiti was the fact that United States citizens now controlled key infrastructure instead of native Haitians. Naturally this would lead to resentment.
On the surface it would appear that the U.S. was simply allowing the flag to follow the dollar, but in reality the U.S. only secured shares of various industries out of fear of European pressure and involvement. American policy during the 1910s could be summed up easily: America's foreign policy was to get involved wherever there was a possibility of Europeans gaining any influence and to take that possibility away.
The US Invasion of Haiti
In the early 1900s, Haiti had a longstanding tradition of annual revolutions that prevented the nation from modernizing.
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