Anglo-Colombian War: Difference between revisions

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The Haitian-Colombian War was a major conflict fought from 1825 until 1827 between Haiti and Gran Colombia, following the Haitian invasion of Gran Colombian portion of Hispaniola de Occidental. It came on the heels of a growing Haitian economy and military in the wake of the increasingly unstable political landscape in the newly formed Gran Colombia. Not soon after defeating the Spanish and forming the "Republic of Characas", the new leader found himself incapable of governing the vast region he had recently conquered and internal dissent arose soon after he planned to call a constitutional convention for 1828.

In order to please the country's slaveowner aristocracy, Bolivar broke his commitment to free the country's slaves in exchange for military and economic backing from Emperor Jacques I. Disgusted by the betrayal of trust, the Haitians declared war on Gran Colombia in October 1825, stating their intention to invade and conquer the country's Hispanolian portion for the benefit of the region's slaves. The British and Dutch both supported the war against Gran Colombia to further their own objectives in the region: the British to secure their Central and South American colonies while simultaneously eradicating slavery, and the Dutch to protect their South American territory. The British would actively supply the Haitians with ammunition and uniforms, while the Dutch and Carmanians would provide Haiti with loans and cargo vessels to meet its logistical needs throughout the war.

The war was not well-received in the United States, which had always feared Haitian aggression, and the island nation's ability to arm American slaves in the country's south. With the southern Democrats in control of the American government, the US would continue to support Gran Colombia's military throughout the conflict. The same was true for Brazil, whose population of 4.5 million people was 56 percent enslaved and could not afford a Haitian dominion on its borders. The French, on the other hand, wanted to punish the Haitians for humiliating them twice: once during the Haitian Revolution and again in 1822, when the Haitians forced the French to return home after attempting to force the nation to pay reparation to France. All three thus backed the Gran Colombian forces during the conflict seeking to contain the Haitians to their home island, and keep them from gaining too much prominence and influence in the Americas.