Haiti

1400s – 1600s

(1492) Christopher Columbus landed near present day city of Cap-Haitien, claimed island for Spain; named island Hispaniola
(1503) First Africans brought to Hispaniola for labor
(1528) Don Sebastian Ramirez de Fuente became first Catholic bishop of island
(1697) Spain ceded western part of Hispaniola to France, became Haiti

1800s

(1804) Haiti became independent; Jean-Jacques Dessalines, former slave, declared himself emperor
(1806) Dessalines assassinated; Haiti divided into black-controlled north, mulatto-ruled south
(1818-43) Pierre Boyer unified Haiti, excluded blacks from power
(1844) Dominican Republic declared independence from Haiti
(1863) US president Abraham Lincoln recognized Haiti, allowed trade for first time

1900s

(1904) Haiti celebrated 100 years of independence
(1915) US forces occupied Haiti
(1930) First full democratic elections in Haiti; Senator Stenio Vincent elected to six -year term as president
(1934) US withdrew troops from Haiti
(1937) Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo ordered expulsion of Haitians who were working; between 20,000 to 30,000 killed
(1956) Francois “Papa Doc” Duvalier, voodoo physician, seized power in military coup
(1957) Francois Duvalier elected president; Duvalier established one of the most brutal dictatorship in Haitian history
(1971) Duvalier died; Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier succeeded his father as president for life
(1974) Haitian national soccer team participated in World Cup
(1983) Pope John Paul II arrived in Haiti, became first Pope to visit Haiti
(1986) Unrest led military to oust “Baby Doc”; replaced by Lieutenant-General Henri Namphy as head of governing council
(1990) Jean-Bertrand Aristide , former Catholic priest, elected president
(1991) Aristide ousted in coup led by Brigadier-General Raoul Cedras
(1994) Backed by UN resolution, Clinton administration restored Aristide to power
(1995) UN peacekeepers began to replace US troops
(1996) Rene Preval, Lavalas party, elected to replace Aristide as president
(1999) Preval declared that parliament’s term had expired, began ruling by decree

2000s

(2000) Aristide elected president for second non-consecutive term, amid allegations of irregularities
(2002) Haiti approved as full member of Caribbean Community (Caricom) trade bloc
(2003) Voodoo recognized as a religion
(2004) Celebrations marked the 200th year of independence; Aristide left under pressure of armed rebellion, forced into exile; severe floods in south; first UN peacekeepers arrived to help flood survivors; international donors pledged more than $1 billion in aid
(2005) Hurricane Dennis killed 45 people

(2006) Preval elected; UN peacekeeping force in Haiti grew to 9,000 troops
(2007) UN troops launched tough new offensive against armed gangs in Cite Soleil
(2008) Haitians rioted against high food prices; Michele Pierre-Louis succeeded Jacques-Edouard Alexis as prime minister
(2009) Former US president Bill Clinton appointed UN special envoy to Haiti; Jean-Max Bellerive became prime minister(2010) Earthquake devastated Port-au-Prince, damaged much of Haiti; President Obama asked Congress for $2.8 billion special appropriation to pay for rescue costs to help rebuild Haiti; cholera outbreak claimed over 2,500 lives, triggered violent protests
(2011) Haiti’s future uncertain; a fraction of the promised aid arrived; little reconstruction begun; political process unclear; former president Jean-Claude Duvalier returned from exile, faced corruption, human rights abuse charges
(2010) Michel Martelly elected president after elections initially scheduled for February 28, 2010 were postponed to November 28, 2010 due to the earthquake.