Branches Book

BRANCHES

Poole, Robert M. "What Became of the Taíno?" Smithsonian . N.p., Oct. 2011. Web. 28 Jan. 2015. .

Author’s Statement: Sophia Stoughton

This project stemmed from a research paper I wrote in 10th grade. We were assigned to research the colonization of a country of our choice. I chose Haiti and discovered a long and painful history of colonialism. Prior to writing this paper, I’d always thought of Haiti as a country to pity. I knew it was one of the poorest countries in the world and had been hit with constant natural disasters. But I had never fully understood why. After doing this project, I realized how important it is to understand Haiti’s current state in the context of its history. I had never loved history before, but doing this project helped me understand why we learn it. When we were assigned this passion project, I immediately thought of the paper I’d written in 10th grade. I wanted to share the experience I had while learning Haiti’s history with others. I had originally planned to write a research paper. However, as I began to write it, I realized that what I really wanted to focus on was the idea of responsibility. Instead of an informational paper, it became a piece about the importance of taking responsibility. Through this piece, I hope to inspire people to understand our world through the lens of history and the complex ideas of blame and responsibility.

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