Framing Empire: How The New York Times and The Washington Post Sold the U.S. Occupation of Haiti, 1915-1934 –and How Black & Haitian Voices Resisted these Imperial Narratives

Alternative Title

Cadrer l’empire : comment le New York Times et le Washington Post ont vendu l’occupation américaine d’Haïti, 1915-1934–et comment les voix afro-américaines et haïtiennes ont résisté à ces récits impériaux

Authors

• Fridosse Adam Idrissou, The College of WoosterFollow

Abstract

This study looks at how The New York Times and The Washington Post shaped the way Americans understood the U.S. occupation of Haiti (1915-1934). By reading their articles, headlines, and editorials closely, it shows that both papers often represented the occupation as necessary and helpful. Their reporting relied mostly on U.S. government sources. They also describe Haiti as unstable and have ignored much of its political complexities. These stories often reflected the racial ideas that suggested Black self-rule was weak or fragile. The study then looks at the African American and Haitian press, which offer strong counter-narratives. African American journalists connected Haiti’s struggle to a broader fight for racial justice and rejected the idea of a “civilizing mission.” Haitian writers, working under censorship and threats, documented abuses, defended national institutions, and insisted on Haiti’s right to self-government. Together, these sources reveal Black intellectual traditions challenged U.S. imperial claims and preserved Haitian agency. By comparing these different narratives, this project shows how newspapers operated as a political force. It shows that narratives of disorder and American “benevolence” helped justify the occupation. At the same time, Black resistance in both Haiti and the United States challenged these stories and affirmed Haiti’s sovereignty.

Advisor

Gamble, Harry

Second Advisor

Sene, Ibra

Department

French and Francophone Studies; History

Recommended Citation

Adam Idrissou, Fridosse, "Framing Empire: How The New York Times and The Washington Post Sold the U.S. Occupation of Haiti, 1915-1934 –and How Black & Haitian Voices Resisted these Imperial Narratives" (2026). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 13377.
https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/13377

Disciplines

African American Studies | Arts and Humanities | Comparative Literature | Ethnic Studies | French and Francophone Language and Literature | History | Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies | Rhetoric and Composition | Translation Studies

Keywords

U.S. Occupation of Haiti (1915–1934); American Imperialism; Media and Empire; Press and Propaganda; African American Press; Haitian Press; Black Internationalism; Racialized Discourse

Publication Date

2026

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis