1806-September-30: Official trade statistics for the fiscal year ending on this date revealed that American exports to the French West Indies, of which Haiti…

1806-September-30: Official trade statistics for the fiscal year ending on this date revealed that American exports to the French West Indies, of which Haiti was the primary destination, totaled over seven million dollars. This represented approximately four percent of the total export trade of the United States, a figure significant enough to interest merchants but not large enough to outweigh major diplomatic considerations. Jefferson calculated that this volume of trade was not worth the risk of a major confrontation with Great Britain or France. Consequently, the administration felt justified in using the prohibition of this trade as a “sacrificial pawn” to gain concessions elsewhere. This economic reality provided the final justification for the long-term commercial abandonment of the Haitian Republic.