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Marlene L. Daut, Professor of French and African American Studies, Yale University

200 years ago, France extorted Haiti in one of history’s greatest heists – and Haitians want reparations

A French propaganda engraving from 1825 depicts King Charles X bestowing freedom on a Black man kneeling before him in chains. 'S.M. Charles X, le bien-aimé, reconnaissant l’indépendance de St. Domingue,' 1825, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Cabinet des Estampes, CC BY-SA

In 2002, Haiti’s former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide argued that France should pay his country $US21 billion.

The reason? In 1825, France extracted a huge indemnity from the young nation, in exchange for recognition of its independence.

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