IDKMYDE: Haiti: The Black Republic That Terrified the World

The Haitian Revolution created the first free Black republic and sent shockwaves
through every slaveholding nation on Earth.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Black Republic that terrified the world, introducing Haiti, I
Know it All. Welcome back to another episode of the
most anticipated podcasts, especially in February on the Black Effect
podcast Network, entitled I Didn't Know. Maybe you didn't either,

(00:21):
And these next seven episodes you need your digital passport.

Speaker 2 (00:26):
That's right, I told you.

Speaker 1 (00:28):
Season five we had some twisting turns and some places
you can't even drive, so make sure.

Speaker 2 (00:33):
That digital passport is straighty.

Speaker 1 (00:36):
We taken off in about ninety seconds, so don't be lady.

Speaker 2 (00:40):
If you've got a significant.

Speaker 1 (00:42):
Other, please bring a dity because episode five fifteen.

Speaker 2 (00:48):
We're headed to haighty. But before we hop on flights
one six, one nine, it.

Speaker 1 (00:56):
Is customary that we give you three of the most
useless fact you'll never need ever, not a day in life.
Up first, Haiti is the only nation in history founded
by formally enslaved people who defeated their enslavers. Your second
useless fact. France forced Haiti to pay for its own freedom,

(01:17):
and they didn't finish collecting that money until nineteen hundred
and forty seven. That independence. That was about one hundred
and fifty million francs. That's the equivalent to twenty one
billion dollars in today's money when you factor in the
interest and the lost economic growth. France literally invoiced freedom
for Haiti and didn't finish collecting until nineteen forty seven.

(01:40):
That is wild and your third useless fact. Haiti's revolution
scares so many slave holding nations that they try to
erase it from the history books, which is why we're
putting it in today's episode. If I didn't know, maybe
you didn't either. So let's get your passport scanned and
board flight once six one nine to Haiti. And I

(02:02):
know one thing I want to know. If Haiti is
the only nation in history who's enslaved people defeated they're enslavers,
then why they're the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.
I didn't know. Maybe you didn't. I didn't know. I
didn't know. Maybe you didn't me. I didn't know. I
didn't know. Maybe you didn't.

Speaker 2 (02:21):
I didn't know.

Speaker 1 (02:22):
I didn't know. I didn't know. I didn't know.

Speaker 2 (02:26):
So here's what they don't frame. Correct.

Speaker 1 (02:28):
Haiti ain't the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere because
the Haitians failed. Haiti is punished because the Haitians succeeded
in the late seventeen hundreds.

Speaker 2 (02:37):
Haiti.

Speaker 1 (02:38):
At that point they was called Saints Dominge and it
was the richest colony in the world, not the priud
of France. It was the money printer for France, sugar, coffee,
labor stolen through slavery. Then enslaved African says something that
the world just wasn't ready to hear. Nah. Just like

(02:58):
that Nah meeting adjourn and what followed wasn't just the rebellion.
It was a full military revolution. It was organized, it
was strategic, and above all it was successful. Man enslaved
black folk beat the French armies. They put built to
the British forces. They spanked the Spanish troops back to

(03:20):
back to back like the ninety one, ninety two, and
ninety three Bulls, and Michael Jordan would have been Tucson
Layover Tour. He was the revolution's leader. Bruh never lost
a major battle. He was six and on in finals.
Napoleon Bonaparte sent forty thousand troops to Haiti. Most of
them never made it back home, and in eighteen o
four Haiti became the first black republic. Now here's the

(03:43):
part that terrified the entire world.

Speaker 2 (03:45):
Haiti didn't just free itself.

Speaker 1 (03:48):
It proved that enslaved black folks could organize governments, run economies,
defeat empires.

Speaker 2 (03:55):
Well, that broke the lot that was holding slavery together.

Speaker 1 (03:58):
So Europe and the United States got on a FaceTime
and said, cool, but we can't let this look normal.
France demanded that Haiti pay for the loss of enslaved people.
Other nations they refused to trade with Haiti. The United
States didn't officially recognize Haiti until eighteen sixty two. Damn
near sixty years after their independence. Do you know what

(04:20):
was happening in the United States in eighteen sixty two?
They were still enslave in black folk. Haiti wasn't isolated
because it failed. Haiti ain't the poorest country in the
Western Hemisphere because it failed. Haiti ain't destitute because it failed.
Haiti is all of those things because it worked. A
century after Haiti shocked the world, Carter G. Woodson created

(04:42):
Negro History Week because he knew stories like this would
be buried, not because they weren't important, but because they dangerous.
Haiti proved that black freedom was possible without approval, and
that's scared everybody.

Speaker 2 (04:56):
Look if Black History money is celebrating its one hundred year.
AY been celebrating black freedom since eighteen o four and
I didn't know. Maybe you didn't either.

Speaker 1 (05:07):
Congratulations, your passport has been stamped.

Speaker 2 (05:10):
Next up, Mexico,