The French sent a governor to western Hispaniola to see if they could not tame and settle the bucaneers into peaceful planters and claim what is now Haiti for France. They sent a former bucaneer Bertrand d'Ogeron in 1665. He set up his seat of government in Port-de-Paix. The colony would become known as St. Domingue. In ten years he was successful in bringing 2,500 immigrants to the island and for setting up tobacco farming as the major crop. There was still pirate raids launched from St. Domingue as well as Spanish and English raids that devestated this new colony. It was not till 1697 that St. Domingue was officially recognized as French territory.
SUGAR AND SLAVES
At first the majority of settlers were Frenchmen, but as time continued slaves were brought in to help in the cultivation of sugar. Thousands of Africans were brought to the colony yearly to work on clearing the land, planting and harvesting this crop. To establish sugar plantations was a big investment and required a lot of capital to build mills and buildings to prepare, refine and store the sugar. The work was very demanding and required many slaves to plant and cut the cane. Such plantations appeared as little towns spread across the valleys. Coffee was grown on smaller plantations scattered in the mountains. As times got more settled toward the end of the 1600's till the Haitian Revolution 1791 the importance of sugar increased until France considered St.Domingue it's most valuable colony.
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