Critical Thinking Using the Common Core Internet Sites Further Reading Selected Bibliography Index About the Author Copyright Back Cover
FOREWORD On January 12 2010 residents of Haiti located on the small island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea went about their usual routines Living in one of the poorest countries in the world with a history of slavery brutal dictatorships and deadly revolutions many Haitians were working hard simply to earn enough to support their basic needs The markets in the capital city of Port-au-Prince were
busy with men and women buying and selling goods Voices speaking Haitian Creole the French-based language used by most Haitians floated through the markets like gentle waves The streets were filled with greetings casual conversations and bartering A steady flow of bodies and chatter filled the space as people carried on with business as usual Since only 50 percent of Haitian children went to school many youngsters spent a typical day helping their parents or looking in nearby areas for work to bring home money Those who attended school learned about their ancestors proud accomplishments including becoming the second nation in the Americas after the United States to secure its freedom from colonial rule With a population composed almost entirely of descendants of African slaves gaining independence made Haiti the first black republic in the modern world The Haitian people had weathered many natural disasters including multiple hurricanes in 2008 that killed hundreds of local residents and demolished thousands of homes and businesses But today the sun shone brightly through a clear sky and there seemed no reason to worry as
