The papers found within the Haiti collection cover the century in Haiti's history from the independence struggle in the 1790s until the late 1880s. By the end of the eighteenth century, St.-Domingue prospered in large part due to the importation of African slaves to work on the plantations of sugar, coffee, indigo, and cotton. At the start of the French Revolution, Haiti was France's richest colony. But the slogans of 'Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité' stirred up the passions of several of the poorer classes in the colony, including slaves.

A key figure in the insurrections of the 1790s was Pierre François Dominique Toussaint L'Ouverture, three of whose letters exist in the collection. Toussaint was a former slave and proved an effective leader. He joined the French forces in Hispaniola and eventually became their commanding general. In 1801 he completed the conquest of Santo Domingo and proceeded to abolish slavery and declare himself governor general for life.

Unfortunately for Toussaint, the French had by this time made peace with Britain and the United States and Napoleon Bonaparte sent General Charles Leclerq in 1802 to restore French sovereignty. Leclerq captured Toussaint, and he died in a French prison in 1803. In the meantime, Toussaint's leading generals, Henri Christophe and Jean Jacques Dessalines, had joined Leclerq's forces.

When it became clear that Napoleon intended to restore slavery in the colony, the top black officers defected and joined the insurrectionists. Concerned that Napoleon might use St.-Domingue as a point from which to occupy Louisiana, Thomas Jefferson supplied arms, munitions, and supplies to the insurrectionists. When Britain went to war again with France in 1802, the British Navy prevented Napoleon from sending reinforcements to Leclerq's army; in November 1803, the French surrendered, and in January 1804 Dessalines declared an independent 'Haiti'.

The years following independence, however, were far from calm. The first two decades were characterized by political strife, and there were continuous economic troubles. The United States, Britain, and France made the situation worse by exploiting the country politically and economically. Abraham Lincoln's recognition of Haitian independence in 1862 did do something to bolster Haitian confidence, but this little to solve the dire economic problems. The pattern of power struggles, foreign exploitation, and economic distress would continue well beyond the last date included in this collection: 1888.