This Day in History: 1925-02-12

A long feature article detailed the wonderful results of the American occupation of Haiti.  According to the article the outstanding result of the nine years of American presence was that “all Haitians, and especially the peasant working class… are free of the menace of confiscation of their property and (know) that their lives are safe.”  The article went on to paint a rosy picture of financial security, higher educational standards and a weakening of the power of witchcraft and voodoo.  The tasks ahead were said to be a reform of the judiciary and the establishment of modern agricultural methods.  The article implied that Haiti would never again be the backward nation it was in 1915 when the Marines arrived.

(Bristow)