Haiti’s History and the Life and Times of Edwidge Danticat 2

Laurent Dubois: In 1915, the U.S. occupies Haiti, sends the Marines in for an occupation that I think, in many ways at the beginning, they weren't quite sure exactly what this was going to look like or what the plan was. The occupation ends up lasting 20 years almost, until 1934. This year is actually the centennial of that occupation, of course, in 1915, and that occupation had profound, deep consequences in Haitian society, as well as in the United States. And, I would say, in many ways kind of transformed a lot about Haitian society and politics in ways that would go on to influence much of the 20th century.