Haiti helped America acquire Louisiana Purchase

As a result of the disastrous earthquake in Haiti, I have learned that Haiti is the second oldest country in the Western Hemisphere, and that France profited enormously from the slave trade and sugar trade in the former French colony. I also learned the Haitian Revolution was the only successful slave revolt in recorded history and led to the first republic ruled by Africans.

According to Pat Robertson, however, the Haitians made a "pact with the devil" to get rid of the French. Pat Robertson reminds me of the Al Qaeda type who insists he knows God and he knows who has made a pact with the devil.

It's very sad what has happened to those poor people, who have always struggled to survive.

The Haitian Revolution was influential in slave rebellions in America and British colonies. The loss of a major source of western revenue shook Napoleon's faith in the promise of the western world, encouraging him to unload other French assets in the region including the territory known as Louisiana. In the early 1800s, many refugees, including free people of color and white planters, of whom some in both categories had owned slaves, settled in New Orleans, adding many new members to both its French-speaking mixed-race population and African population.

The Louisiana Purchase was huge.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

How the U.S. Military Will Help Haiti