IV 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 1375 
Recognizing the history between Haiti and France, acknowledging Haiti as 
the first free Black nation in the Americas, recognizing how the after-
math of their freedom is directly related to their impoverished state 
today, and realizing the importance of this history. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 20, 2022 
Mr. TORRES of New York (for himself and Ms. CLARKE of New York) sub-
mitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for 
a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com-
mittee concerned 
RESOLUTION 
Recognizing the history between Haiti and France, acknowl-
edging Haiti as the first free Black nation in the Amer-
icas, recognizing how the aftermath of their freedom 
is directly related to their impoverished state today, and 
realizing the importance of this history. 
Whereas the revolutionary movement in Haiti was the first 
successful slave revolution in 1791, freeing itself from 
French rule; 
Whereas Haiti established an independent nation in 1804, 
decades before other colonies and nations fought against 
their enslavement; 
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•HRES 1375 IH 
Whereas, in 1825, French warships appeared on the coast of 
Port-au-Prince with an ultimatum from French King 
Charles X to give reparations to former slave masters or 
face another war; 
Whereas Haiti’s President Jean-Pierre Boyer agreed in an ef-
fort to avoid war and begin trade with other countries; 
Whereas, for generations after independence, Haitians were 
forced to pay the descendants of their former slave mas-
ters, becoming the world’s first and only country to have 
‘‘independence debt’’; 
Whereas these payments extended to the Empress of Brazil, 
the son-in-law of the Russian Emperor Nicholas I, Ger-
many’s last imperial chancellor Otto von Bismarck, and 
French general Gaston de Galliffet; 
Whereas the first installment of payment was six times the 
country’s income; 
Whereas Haiti was forced to take out loans from French 
banks to make payments, creating ‘‘double debt’’; 
Whereas, historically, Haitian leaders have ransacked the 
country for their own gain, as legislators have spoken 
openly on the radio about accepting bribes and oligarchs 
sit atop lucrative monopolies; 
Whereas Transparency International ranks Haiti among the 
most corrupt countries in the world; 
Whereas Haitians have paid about $560,000,000 in today’s 
dollars toward the double debt; 
Whereas most workers in Haiti have never had running water 
or septic tanks; 
Whereas public hospitals lack the most essential supplies, like 
blood pressure cuffs or thermometers; and 
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•HRES 1375 IH 
Whereas few of the economic hardships imposed by the 
French are recognized and are not covered in French 
schools, and recent conversations with the French Gov-
ernment have been squashed: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) recognizes the long-forgotten history be-
tween Haiti and France and its direct impact on the 
economic and social challenges Haiti faces today; 
(2) pledges to make this history known 
throughout the United States; 
(3) welcomes Haitian immigrants presently in 
the United States and individuals seeking to immi-
grate to the United States to contribute to the 
health, safety, diversity, and prosperity of the 
United States by finding their place in the vibrant, 
multiethnic, and integrated society of the United 
States; 
(4) encourages the people of the United States 
to work with their Haitian immigrant neighbors and 
colleagues to advance the current and future well- 
being of immigrants to the United States; 
(5) commits to working with fellow Members of 
Congress, the executive agencies that administer im-
migration laws and policies, and the President to 
promote smart and just immigration policy for Hai-
tian immigrants presently in the United States, their 
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•HRES 1375 IH 
families, and individuals seeking to immigrate to the 
United States in the future; and 
(6) commits to working with international orga-
nizations to administer aid, in the form of programs, 
resources, and foreign policies, that continue to help 
Haiti’s economic and social recovery. 
Æ 
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