Haiti became one of the wealthiest Caribbean colonies, due to the heavy importation of African slaves and the exploitation of Haiti’s natural resources. At the height of colonization, almost half of the sugar produced in the world came from Haiti. The country was also the world market leader in the production of coffee, cotton, and indigo. This could only have been accomplished by destroying nearly all of Haiti’s forest. The overproduction of agriculture led to much environmental damage that is still visible in Haiti today.
Click here to get a different view on Haiti’s history! There is an art project from the Franklin Humanities Institute providing a beautiful and unique perspective on Haiti history embedded in amber.
