Haiti is one of the poorest nations on earth. Yet it has a noble history and could have been part of America. It as founded by a successful slave revolt and was even able to stand up to Napoleon's armies when he tried to retake the nation. Early in its history there was talk of absorbing it as a state in the United States, yet of course the divide over slavery within the United States made it impossible to accept a nation that had been formed by a successful slave revolt. We did not even afford them diplomatic relations for a long time.  read more »