Haitis Slave Rebellion Prompted the Louisiana Purchase

Haitis Slave Rebellion Prompted the Louisiana Purchase A slave rebellion in Haiti helped the United States double in size at the beginning of the 19th century. The uprising in what was a French colony at the time had an unexpected repercussion when the leaders of France decided to abandon plans for an empire in the Americas. With Frances profound change of plans, the French decided to sell an enormous parcel of land, the Louisiana Purchase, to the United States in 1803.   Haitis Slave Rebellion In the 1790s the nation of Haiti was known as Saint Domingue, and it was a colony of France. Producing coffee, sugar, and indigo, Saint Domingue was a very profitable colony, but at considerable cost in human suffering. The majority of people in the colony were slaves brought from Africa, and many of them were literally worked to death within years of arriving in the Carribean. A slave rebellion, which broke out in 1791, gained momentum and was largely successful. In the mid-1790s the British, who were at war with France, invaded and seized the colony, and an army of former slaves eventually drove out the British. The leader of the former slaves, Toussaint lOuverture, established relations with the United States and Britain, and Saint Domingue was essentially an independent nation. The French Sought to Reclaim Saint Domingue The French, in time, chose to reclaim their colony, and Napoleon Bonaparte dispatched a military expedition of 20,000 men to Saint Domingue. Toussaint lOuverture was taken prisoner and jailed in France, where he died. The French invasion ultimately failed. Military defeats and an outbreak of yellow fever doomed Frances attempts to retake the colony. The new leader of the slave revolt, Jean Jacque Dessalines, declared Saint Domingue to be an independent nation on January 1, 1804. The nations new name was Haiti, in honor of a native tribe. Thomas Jefferson Had Wanted to Buy the City of New Orleans While the French were in the process of losing their grip on Saint Domingue, President Thomas Jefferson was trying to purchase the city of New Orleans from the French, who claimed much of the land west of the Mississippi River. Napoleon Bonaparte had been interested in Jeffersons offer to purchase the seaport at the mouth of the Mississippi. But the loss of the Frances most profitable colony made Napoleons government begin to think it wasnt worth holding on to the vast tract of land that is now the American Midwest. When Frances finance minister suggested that Napoleon should offer to sell Jefferson all the French holdings west of the Mississippi, the emperor agreed. And so Thomas Jefferson, who had been interested in buying a city, was offered the chance to buy enough land that the United States would instantly double in size. Jefferson made all the necessary arrangements, got approval from Congress, and in 1803 the United States bought the Louisiana Purchase. The actual transfer took place on December 20, 1803. The French had other reasons to sell the Louisiana Purchase besides their loss of Saint Domingue. One major concern was that the British, invading from Canada, could eventually seize all the territory anyway. But it is fair to say that France would not have been prompted to sell the land to the United States when they did had they not lost their prized colony of Saint Domingue. The Louisiana Purchase, of course, contributed enormously to the westward expansion of the United States and the era of Manifest Destiny. Haitis Chronic Poverty Is Rooted in the 19th Century Incidentally, the French, in the 1820s, did try once again to take back Haiti. France did not reclaim the colony, but it did force the small nation of Haiti to pay reparations for land which French citizens had forfeited during the rebellion. Those payments, with interest added, crippled the Haitian economy throughout the 19th century, meaning that Haiti was never able to develop as a nation. To this day Haiti is the most impoverished nation in the Western Hemisphere, and the countrys very troubled financial history is rooted in the payments it was making to France going back to the 19th century.

15 Quotes to Help You Survive the Holidays with Kids

15 Quotes to Help You Survive the Holidays with Kids Holiday vacations hold a special meaning for all of us. Some think of parties, a Bahamas cruise, or visiting grandma. But what if holidays spell kids-at-home-running-riot? Erma Bombeck said, Being a child at home alone is a high-risk occupation. If you call your mother at work thirteen times an hour, she can hurt you. Here are more funny quotes about holiday vacations. Erma BombeckNo self-respecting mother would run out of intimidations on the eve of a major holiday. George CarlinMarry an orphan: youll never have to spend boring holidays with the in-laws. Alice CooperThe two most joyous times of the year are Christmas morning and the end of school. Roger BannisterOur concept of a family holiday was going to a guest house in the Lake District or Wales where walking was part of the holiday. Kylie MinogueI have had a holiday, and Id like to take it up professionally. Frank TygerWhen you like your work every day is a holiday. George Bernard ShawA perpetual holiday is a good working definition of hell. Sam EwingVacation: Two weeks on the sunny sands - and the rest of the year on the financial rocks. George CarlinThe other night I ate at a real nice family restaurant. Every table had an argument going. Philip AndrewTo many people, holidays are not voyages of discovery, but a ritual of reassurance. Earl WilsonA vacation is what you take when you can no longer take what youve been taking. Elbert HubbardNo man needs a vacation so much as the person who has just had one. Kenneth GrahameAfter all, the best part of a holiday is perhaps not so much to be resting yourself, as to see all the other fellows busy working. Dave BarryThe best time to go (to Disney World), if you want to avoid huge crowds, is 1962. Raymond DuncanA lot of parents pack up their troubles and send them off to summer camp. When Holidays Are Here, Do You Get Cold Feet? If you were a stay-at-home mom, youd know. Heck, if you were a working mom, youd know too. For kids, holidays means clogging up the bathtub with paper balls, which sometimes metamorphose into gobs of different shapes, colors, and textures. Holidays also mean running around the house, especially on my freshly shampooed carpet with muck from the garden. And lets not even talk about the innumerable slugs, bugs, and frogs that seem to have made home in a little box under the bed of my younger son. What Holidays Mean With Kids Are at Home Holidays means endless cooking for the ravenous little ones. They are forever saying, Im hungry! or When can we have pizza? once every 15 minutes through the day. I wonder how they managed to survive school hours with one lunch break! And whatever is cooked at home is yucky enough for them to pull a face, or use the food as play dough. Kids make fortresses out of table linen or mess up the walls with their grubby fingers. They are bundles of boisterous energy that needs to be channeled. Moms are driven to  their wits end and resort to letting them watch endless reruns on video. How About Taking Off to a Holiday Destination With Kids? How about taking off on a holiday to someplace which is exotic and fun? Good idea, but be warned that kids are not the best travel companions. Between umpteen loo visits, pit stops at every fast food outlet, and shopping and whining at every toy shop, youd be happy if you get some time to look at the scenic locales. And just when you find a cozy spot to put up your feet, you will be assailed with a Mommy, can we go home, please? And you wonder then whether it was even a smart idea to travel long distance. Having kids at home during holidays can be a nightmare. If you have not planned it through, you may be in for some hair-raising experiences. But with the right plans, you can have a great time with kids during holidays. Here is a 5-step plan on how to survive the holidays with kids: 1. Prepare a list of activities that will be a hit with the kids and keep them off your hair. It could be soccer class, swimming class, camps, or craft classes. Kids love to try out new stuff. Find out what activities are available in your neighborhood. If your kids friends have signed up for some special courses, you may want to team up with them. This way you can work a carpool schedule too. 2. Organize play dates, slumber parties and picnic with friends. The downside is that you will have to look after more than one child. However, the upside is that kids are usually less clingy when their friends are around. Also, you can squeeze in a bit of me time, when the kids are busy with each other. Besides, whoever said that you cannot rotate the activities in each participating parents house? Today, it is your turn. There will be a golden tomorrow when it is someone elses turn. 3. Stock up on supplies. Kids at home mean more food, more mess, and more activities. Keep your ammunition ready. Wipes. Sanitizers. Raincoat. Snacks. First Aid Kits. Crayons. DIY project kits. Even if you think that you may not need them all, there is no harm in stocking up. You never know when you will need these. 4. Set some ground rules from Day 1 and be firm. Ground Rule No.1 is no TV before dinner and bedtime brushing of teeth. That way, you ensure that when the kids fall asleep on the couch, it is easy to carry them off to their beds. 5. If you are traveling out with kids, including an adventure in the itinerary. Typically, beach locations, wild-life sanctuaries, and camps are fun for kids. You cant expect your 3-year-old to behave in a mall, which is overflowing with goodies and toys on Christmas Eve. Likewise, you cannot expect him to trudge up a hill, just because you love trekking. Make realistic plans, if you want to save your sanity. Some parents become excellent at planning, time management, and multitasking after having children.  Kids are indeed the best teachers.You are not the only one to feel heartache and joy of celebrating holidays with kids.