Haiti was founded by plantation slaves who fought for independence against the colonial French, defeating Napoleon’s army. The slaves were originally kidnapped from Africa & formed 90% of the population.
France demanded 150 million Francs for the ’loss’ of its plantations to the slaves. In contrast, USA paid France 1/10 this amount for Louisiana. The French demand was supported by USA under President Jefferson (fearing slave rebellion in USA), helping enforce an embargo on Haiti with other European powers. Haiti was forced to take a loan at a massive interest from a French bank. In today’s terms, Haiti was extorted $30 billion.