Haiti was once the world's first independent black republic and the richest island in the Caribbean. Today, Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and one of the poorest countries in the world. What could have happened in Haiti in almost two hundred years of history? The country has experienced repeated civil wars and foreign interventions. Haiti is not isolated from the international world. Therefore, it was not out of concern for ordinary Haitians that the United States intervened in Haiti. This was due to concern for profit and stability in the United States' backyard. The purpose of this article is to show the negative aspect that the United States has had in governing Haiti. The situation in Haiti was and always has been unstable. Since the Haitian slaves rebelled in 1804, Haiti has become full of crises and revolutions of various kinds. The invasion and subsequent occupation were triggered by the fall of the Haitian president, General Vilbrun Guillaume Sam, in July 1915. General Sam was well aware of the masses' discontent with him and in response made a sick display of power, ordering the execution. of 173 political prisoners. At the beginning of the 20th century, many Caribbean and Central American countries were heavily indebted to European countries. Because Haiti had a high debt and violence had erupted from the Haitian population, the United States declared that it was evident that the Haitians were not fit to govern themselves. The United States occupied Haiti from 1915 to 1934. (Farmer: 93) The United States secured complete political and administrative control over Haiti. Even though the US plan was to invest in Haiti, that didn't mean…half of paper…well. Other countries are not only holding Haiti back, but have also made the situation worse. Works Cited Anderson, Fred. “The United States and the Haitian Nightmare,” www.collegian.psu.edu.archive. 4/31/01Farmer, Paul. “The Customs of Haiti,” Copyright Library of Congress 1994.Heinl, Michael. "The History of the Haitian People, 1492-1995," Copyright 1996 by University Press of America, Inc. Maclean, Frances. "They did not speak our language; we did not speak theirs" www.web6.infotrac.galegroup .com, Smithsonian , January 1993 v23 n10 p44.McGee, Arthur "Mutinational Monitor: Article on Haiti." www.stile.lboro.ac.uk. March 31, 2001.Trouillot, Michel-Rolph. “Haitian State vs. Nation, the Origins and Legacy of Duvalierism” Library of Congress Copyright 1990 “Confronting the Crisis in Haiti” Center for Defense Information (Washington, DC Videorecording.)