The Cause Of Poverty In Haiti

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Haiti, once known as “The Jewel of the Antilles” is now the poorest country in the western hemisphere. How can there be such a juristic drop off from wealth and prosperity? There are many factors including poor soil health, lack of knowledge and literacy, a long history of political oppression, and a large population in a small country. However, the root cause of poverty in Haiti is human greed and power. Haiti was once one of the most productive areas in the world. In the 1750s producing as much as 50% of the total Gross National Product of France. Haiti was a part of the slave triangle, and used this labor to produce many products that Europeans loved. These products include sugar, coffee, tobacco, cocoa, the dye indigo, and cotton. Incredibly …show more content…
The official Haitian language is French, with all business conducted in French. The problem here being only 10% of the population knows French, with only 5% being fluent in the language. The other 90% speaks Creole, which is a language derived from Africa. This language barrier is exploited with a deeper look at the education system in place. Schooling in Haiti is free to all, however classes are taught in French. Furthermore only 30% of the children start school. Of this 30%, only 2% attend school past 5th grade. This reoccurring cycle of illiteracy creates an uneducated …show more content…
In Haiti this never used to be the issue, they grew cotton, tobacco, and sugar cane. Today the land is severely eroded due to the destruction of the forests. Haiti is very mountainous country, with the only source of heat and income for some people being from the trees that cover the mountains (Corbett, 1986). When these trees are cut down, they are not being replaced with new trees. When the rainy season hits and there are 5 solid days of rain, Haitians can literally watch the rain run down the mountain and carry their soil out to the Caribbean Sea.
I believe that the ethical argument of natural law is one that is well expressed in Haiti. Throughout history, Haiti has allows gotten the short end of the stick because of having all their resources exported out to other countries and being hurt in the end by the people who once made them succeed. Haiti has not come very far in the past 200 years due to slow economic development, little resources, no education, and a very uneven power

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