Fabre Geffrard

Fabre Geffrard was a very important leader in Haiti.

He was the first president of Haiti born in the 1800s. He was also the first leader born after Haiti became independent. Geffrard was born in 1806 in a place called L'Anse-à-Veau. His father was a general who helped write the country's laws. After his father died, a man named Colonel Fabre adopted him. This helped Geffrard get a good education in Aux Cayes. He joined the army when he was only 15 years old.

His life in the military was full of many changes. He joined the 13th Regiment to follow his father's path. At first, his job was quite simple and quiet. Later, he rose through the ranks to become a commander. He once faced a trial before a man named Faustin Soulouque. Soulouque was a leader who later became an emperor. Even though there were charges, Soulouque gave Geffrard a pardon. Later, Geffrard led a successful battle at La Tabarra. Because of this win, he was named the Duke of La Tabarra.

In 1858, Geffrard helped change how Haiti was ruled. He worked with others to end the rule of the emperor. He wanted to bring back a republic for the people. On December 23, 1858, he declared this change in Gonaïves. He became the president of Haiti in 1859. Geffrard believed that peaceful changes were the best kind of changes. He did not want to destroy everything that already existed. Instead, he wanted to fix and keep the good parts of the government.

As president, he worked hard to fix the nation's money.

He stopped some unfair taxes on goods sent out of the country. He also signed a big trade treaty with the United States in 1864. This treaty helped Haiti trade more easily with other lands. During the American Civil War, cotton prices went up very high. Geffrard encouraged farmers to grow more cotton to make money. This helped the economy grow for a short time. He even tried to bring in workers from America to help.

He also made big changes in religion and land. In 1860, he helped the Catholic Church work with Haiti again. This helped create better schools for many people. However, he also worked against the practice of Vodou.

He ordered the destruction of many ritual tools used in Vodou. He also allowed people to buy up to fifteen acres of land. This was meant to help small farmers own their own soil. His time as president ended in 1867 when he was overthrown. A man named Sylvain Salnave took control after him.