The city of Port-au-Prince became the capital of the French colony of Saint-Domingue in 1770, although the city has been a place of great influence ever since the first European landings.

After Haiti's independence from France, Port-au-Prince remained as an important center of Haitian society, being the capitals of both the southern republic and of the whole country after reunification. In many ways, the city is still reeling from penalties placed on Haiti by the powers of Europe since the revolution, and by the American occupation during the First World War. Despite all of this, Port-au-Prince will remain a home and hearth for the people of Haiti, forevermore.