Haiti was colonized by Spanish explorers who were followed by Spanish missionaries who saw the discovery of the New World [as] a challenge to her missionary spirit” [Desmangles, 20]. These Catholic missionaries quickly established Catholicism as the primary religion of the island. From the discovery of Hispaniola until around 1700 the islands missionaries attempted to convert the indigenous peoples to Christianity. Around 1730 a new type of businessman arrived on the island and the economy shifted towards slavery. Plantations were staked out and slaves were brought in from Africa to farm “indigo, coffee, sugar, and cocoa” [Desmangles, 20]. The working conditions in Haiti were some of the worst in the world at that time and the chances of a slave living long enough to reproduce were staggeringly low. Trade from the island was profitable enough to warrant the transportation of new slaves from Africa instead of relying solely on slaves reproducing. Consequently, the Haitian......
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