Free
In 1791, enslaved Africans rebelled on the French sugarcane plantations of Saint Domingue. It took 13 years of fighting to win their freedom from slavery and France.
Almost half a million enslaved persons battled their French owners. It was the biggest slave revolt in history. In 1804, Saint Domingue became the independent nation of Haiti (Arawak for “higher place”). Along with the U.S. and France, Haitians created one of the first democratic republics. Haiti was the first Caribbean nation to become independent. Today, there are 15 other independent countries. But independence has not always meant freedom from interference. Since the late 1800s, the U.S. has gotten involved in the affairs of Caribbean nations several times.
