HIS 100 Project

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School

Southern New Hampshire University *

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100

Subject

History

Date

Jul 2, 2024

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docx

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4

Uploaded by MasterAnteater2881

HIS 100 Project Part 1: Creating a Research Question 1. Describe how your assumptions, beliefs, and values influenced your choice of topic. The thing that influenced my topic choice the most was my African American/Haitian lineage. My mother is American, and my father is Haitian. While I did grow up with my father, he was not very forthcoming with much information about Haiti. Growing up in America I am very much informed about slavery in the states. So, the Haitian Independence sparked my interest. I have always had a strong belief that all humans should be treated equally and that we should respect each other, no matter what color, race, shape, or religion we may have. The strength that the Haitians showed to be treated equally and to fight for their basic human rights is parallel to my beliefs for human rights and the lengths that need to be taken to reach this goal. At the end of the day, we are all the same on the inside and our differences are what make us interesting. We should also learn to respect each other. As a Haitian American, I value the freedoms and access that we have here in America, that some people in Haiti still don’t have. 2. Discuss the significance of your historical research question in relation to your current event. In 1804 Haiti had won the revolution and the remaining French soldiers had fled back to their country. However, France did not acknowledge Haiti as free country until 1825 and only until Haiti agreed to pay France 1000 million francs, which is about 30 billion in todays money. The current event that I identified as a direct result of the payment made for freedom is that there are currently Haitians selling illegal guns in Haiti. The Haitian independence left Haiti in deep financial turmoil that they were never able to recover from. In 2021 the Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated and this sparked major gang violence which is a direct connection the illegal guns being smuggled in. If the country hadn’t been in long standing poverty, then the citizens today might not have had to go through such extreme measures. 3. Explain how you used sources to finalize your research question. My finalized research question is: How did Haiti’s Independence affect their past and current economy? An article in the New York Times, “6 Takeaways About Haiti’s Reparations to France” Written by Eric Nagourney May 20, 2022 explains how not only did Haiti have to pay a large indemnity for their freedom but how they had to borrow the money from French and American Banks to pay this indemnity. The article also mentions how in later years the French asked Haiti to go into a bank partnership where France put in no money but took commissions on all the transactions that Haiti made. The Credit Industriel and its investors stole millions of dollars. Part 2: Building Context to Address Questions 1. Describe the context of your historical event that influenced your current event. The context of my historical event that influenced my current event is slavery and oppression. The former slaves of Haiti were oppressed and denied of their basic human rights. These treatments and feelings have been passed down for centuries and the Haitians of today are still fighting against it. The smuggling and selling of the guns are a means for income and fight for power. It shows that the country was and is in desperate need. 2. Describe a historical figure or group’s participation in your historical event. Jean-Jacques Dessalines was one of Toussaint Louverture’s lieutenants who resumed the war 1
against France in 1802 after Toussaint was tricked, confined, and questioned by the French until he died. Dessalines was joined by Henry Christophe another general and Alexandre Sabès Pétion and other mulattos who also were outraged by Frances’s plans to reestablish slavery in Guadeloupe and Martinique. The French were weakened by yellow fever and the decrease in their forces led to the victory of the Haitians in 1804. He would later become Emperor Jacques I. “To his credit, Dessalines also tried to implement reforms to improve Haiti’s economy. He enforced tight regulation of foreign trade and favored commerce with Great Britain and the United States over France. He placed well-educated Haitians, primarily mulattos, into key positions in his administration.” (Biography.com, 2021) 3. Explain the historical figure or group’s motivation to participate in your historical event. Dessalines was born a slave and like many other slaves they refused to continue being treated in such horrible conditions and denied their human rights. When Toussaint died Dessalines stepped into the role as the general. His motivation to participate in the revolution was 1st to free all the slaves but as time went on it became a fight for independence. Dessalines was no longer going to take the mistreatment of him and his people. Part 3: Examining How Bias Impacts Narrative 1. Describe a narrative you identified while researching the history of your historical event. A narrative I was able to identify was the one presented by Toussaint L’Overture in The Saint- Domingue Constitution of 1801. He wrote and sent a letter along with the Constitution to Napoleon Bonaparte. The declaration presents a narrative of freedom and establishes the laws that the Haitian people will follow moving forward. 2. Articulate how biased perspectives presented in primary and secondary sources influence what is known or unknown about history. Biased perspectives presented in primary and secondary sources influence what is known and unknown about history because whoever is creating the sources can bend the truth to make it fit into their own narrative and align with their own beliefs. The authors can leave out information and only tell part of the story seem like the best story. Biases can be presented just by simply using strong words and emotions. 3. Identify the perspectives that you think are missing from your historical event’s narrative. A perspective I think is missing from the narrative is that of the Haitian women during that time. Most of the primary sources that I have found are all from the perspective of the men and written about the men. I wasn’t able to find much about the role that the women played in this event. I think this would give me a full understanding of what was going on at that time. Part 4: Connecting the Past With the Present 1. Explain how researching its historical roots helped improve your understanding of your current event. Researching the Haitian Revolution helped me to understand the current event in Haiti because I was able to identify how one major event set the precedent for everything bad that follow. The people in Haiti back in 1700-1800’s were fighting for freedom and although they are an independent country, they are now fighting for somewhat of the same thing. They are fighting poverty and the a corrupt regime. 2. Articulate how questioning your assumptions, beliefs, and values may benefit you as an individual. Questioning my assumptions, beliefs, and values benefits me as an individual because it allows me to be self-aware. This makes me be true to who I am and autocorrect if necessary. It also gives me room to be accepting of others beliefs and have a solid understanding that we are 2
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