The French occupation of Haiti began in the mid-17th century. For the next century and a half, the people of Haiti were forced to abandon their livelihoods and instead settle on sugar, indigo, or cocoa plantations to generate exports for the French market. Conditions on these plantations were often so cruel and oppressive that the common cause of death was exhaustion. No longer able to give in to the terms of their exploitation, Haitians participated in a series of slave revolts, the most notable of which was led by Toussaint Louverture starting in 1791, who paved the way for Haitian emancipation. This essay will promote the idea that colonialism hindered Haiti's political stability during the nineteenth century, particularly since Haiti formally declared independence in 1804. It will address how issues such as; Despotism, conflicting economic institutions, militarization of the political system, and racial supremacy negatively influenced nineteenth-century Haitian politics. Furthermore, it will also delve into how these issues are, in fact, insidious derivatives of French rule during pre-independent Haiti. The year 1804 marked not only the beginning of Haitian independence, but also the despotic reign of Jean Jacques Dessalines. Dessalines was originally a subordinate of Louverture himself, who only came to power after the arrest of its leader. His obsession with autocracy led him to crown himself "emperor" of Haiti that same year. Therefore, the entire functioning of the political system came under the control of this man. His word was law and his decisions were strictly open to discussion. Such is his iron-fisted rule that, in 1891, a Haitian writer observed that: ... half the paper ... and thus opened the way to foreign intervention. With this in mind, it is important to note that political insecurity all stems from the entrenchment of color lines within Haitian society – not a new concept for Haiti. The question of racial supremacy was first raised by the French during colonial rule. The colonialists truly believed that they were the “superior” race in every shape and form and thus it was generally understood among them that “nothing good and civilized” comes out of their colonies (Nicholls 1993). Thus, mulattoes, believing themselves to be more closely related to the French than their Haitian counterparts, enshrined and supported this view even long after the French occupation. For this reason, it is thanks to colonialism that there was a progressive erosion of Haiti's political autonomy during the end of the 19th century...