Haitian history began with the arrival of the indigenous Taino people, followed by European colonization in the late 15th century. The island, known as Hispaniola, was claimed by Spain and later by France, which established a lucrative sugar and coffee plantation economy reliant on enslaved Africans. In 1804, after a successful slave revolt led by figures like Toussaint L'Ouverture, Haiti became the first independent nation in Latin America and the Caribbean. However, the country faced political instability, foreign intervention, and economic challenges, impacting its development throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.