France forces Haiti to pay an independence indemnity

In July 1825 a French naval squadron arrived at Port-au-Prince carrying an ordinance from King Charles X. France would recognize Haiti's independence, but Haiti had to pay 150 million francs in five annual installments to compensate former colonists for lost property, which included enslaved people, and give French ships a 50 percent cut in port duties. President Jean-Pierre Boyer accepted under the threat of invasion and a blockade.¹²

Since 1804 Haiti had been treated as an outlaw state by slaveholding powers, and France threatened to retake it. Haiti could not borrow or trade freely without recognition. The sum was far larger than the government's annual revenue, so Haiti borrowed from French banks to make the first payment. In 1838 a new treaty cut the principal to 90 million francs, but the loans and interest kept the government in debt. Haiti finished paying the French debt and related loans in 1947. Economists and historians disagree over exact costs, but many argue that for much of the 1800s a large share of Haiti's budget went to French creditors, leaving little for schools, roads and public health. The episode is often cited in debates about reparations. In 2003 President Jean-Bertrand Aristide demanded restitution from France, which refused.¹²³