The Independent Republic of Spanish Haiti ( es, República del Haití Español), also called the Independent State of Spanish Haiti ()
was the independent state that resulted from the defeat of Spanish colonialists from
Santo Domingo
, total_type = Total
, population_density_km2 = auto
, timezone = AST (UTC −4)
, area_code_type = Area codes
, area_code = 809, 829, 849
, postal_code_type = Postal codes
, postal_code = 10100–10699 (Distrito Nacional)
, websi ...
on November 9, 1821, led by General
José Núñez de Cáceres
José Núñez de Cáceres y Albor (March 14, 1772 – September 11, 1846) was a Dominican politician and writer. He is known for being the leader of the independence movement against Spain in 1821 and the only president of the short-lived Repu ...
.
The republic lasted only from December 1, 1821, to February 9, 1822, when it was annexed by the
Republic of Haiti
Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and so ...
.
History
Preparations for independence (1820–1821)
Haitian president
Jean-Pierre Boyer
Jean-Pierre Boyer (15 February 1776 – 9 July 1850) was one of the leaders of the Haitian Revolution, and President of Haiti from 1818 to 1843. He reunited the north and south of the country into the Republic of Haiti in 1820 and also annex ...
decided to prepare for a rumored military advancement by Spain into Haiti, due to repeated rumors that the French and the Spanish were going to invade from the vulnerable east side of the island.
In 1820, Boyer sent Colonel Dezir Dalmassi to nearby towns such as
San José de las Matas
San José de las Matas, also known as Sajoma, is an important municipality (''municipio'') of the Santiago province in the Dominican Republic. The mayor of Sajoma is Alfredo Reyes. there has been many positive changes in the last four years such ...
,
San Juan de la Maguana
San Juan de la Maguana is a city and municipality in the western region of the Dominican Republic and capital of the San Juan province. It was one of the first cities established on the island; founded in 1503, and was given the name of San Juan ...
, and
Azua to convince locals to join a republic that would provide them with jobs and other benefits.
Instead of waiting for Dalmassi's return to Haiti, Boyer decided to invade the eastern part of the Island before de Caceres could finalize his intent to join
Gran Colombia
Gran Colombia (, "Great Colombia"), or Greater Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia (Spanish: ''República de Colombia''), was a state that encompassed much of northern South America and part of southern Central America from 1819 to 18 ...
.
Haiti had been offering protection to the Dominicans under the Haitian government in form of jobs, lands, abolition of taxes in the exportation of livestock, in return of accepting the political unification of the two territories.
On December 1, 1821, a constitutive act was ordered to petition the union of Spanish Haiti with Gran Colombia. The state of the Republic of Spanish Haiti was not supported by the population of slaves and servants, who were wary of the rule of pure whites, and preferred to unite with ''French'' Haiti, because of their abolition of slavery.
In late 1821 and early 1822, Haiti sent emissaries to the central and northern parts of Spanish Haiti to promote its annexation, and the people began to raise the Haitian flag on public buildings and plazas, such as Hincha (present-day
Hinche
Hinche (; ht, Ench; es, Hincha) is a commune in the Centre department Haiti. It has a population of about 50,000. It is the capital of the Centre department. Hinche is the hometown of Charlemagne Péralte, the Haitian nationalist leader who r ...
), but also in large cities like
Puerto Plata (December 13, 1821),
Dajabón
Dajabón is a municipality and capital of the Dajabón province in the Dominican Republic, which is located on the northwestern Dominican Republic frontier with Haiti. It is a market town with a population of about 26,000, north of the Cordiller ...
(December 15),
Santiago
Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...
(December 29) and
La Vega (January 4, 1822),
whereas other forces which opposed unification with Haiti formally declared independence from Spain on December 1, 1821.
Independence (1821–1822)
On December 30, 1821, at 11:30 p.m. the ''tropas de morenos'' (), led by Pablo Ali and José Núñez de Cáceres, surprised the
Fortaleza Ozama
The Ozama Fortress ( es, Fortaleza Ozama), also formerly known as the city wall's Homage tower. It is one of the surviving sections of the Walls of Santo domingo, which is recognized by UNESCO as being the oldest military construction of European o ...
's guards and jailed Governor Pascual Real in the Torre de Homenaje (the keep) of Santo Domingo.
The next morning, at 6:00 am, the cannon fire signalled the political change taking place.
![Haitian occupation of Santo Domingo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a2/Haitian_occupation_of_Santo_Domingo.jpg)
A group of politicians and military officers continued to favor uniting the new nation with Haiti, as various elite families sought for political stability under Haitian president Boyer. A large faction based in the northern
Cibao
The Cibao, usually referred as "El Cibao", is a region of the Dominican Republic located at the northern part of the country. As of 2009 the Cibao has a population of 5,622,378 making it the most populous region in the country.
The region constitu ...
region were opposed to the union with Gran Colombia, and also sided with Boyer. Boyer, on the other hand, sought to protect his country from the possibility of either France or Spain retaking the eastern side of the island, and attacking or even re-conquering Haiti. He sought not only to maintain Haitian independence, but to maintain the freedom of its former slaves, as well as to liberate the remaining slaves in Spanish Haiti. After promising his protection to the government of Núñez de Cáceres, Boyer entered with a force of 12,000 soldiers in February 1822, after most cities and towns proclaimed its annexation to the Republic of Haiti between November 1821 and January 1822, including Puerto Plata (December 13, 1821) and
Santiago
Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...
(December 29, 1821).
On February 9, 1822, Boyer formally entered the capital city,
Santo Domingo
, total_type = Total
, population_density_km2 = auto
, timezone = AST (UTC −4)
, area_code_type = Area codes
, area_code = 809, 829, 849
, postal_code_type = Postal codes
, postal_code = 10100–10699 (Distrito Nacional)
, websi ...
, where he was met with enthusiasm, and received by Núñez de Cáceres, who offered to him the keys of the Palace. Boyer rejected the offer saying: ''"I have not come into this city as a conqueror, but by the will of its inhabitants."''
Hispaniola
Hispaniola (, also ; es, La Española; Latin and french: Hispaniola; ht, Ispayola; tnq, Ayiti or Quisqueya) is an island in the Caribbean that is part of the Greater Antilles. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and th ...
was thus united from "Cape Tiburon to Cape Samana in possession of one government."
Political reforms
The first public act of Boyer was to enact the abolition of slavery and promise lands to all freed men, so they could freely dedicate their lives to agriculture in acres donated by the state.
In Haiti, the French system of private land ownership guaranteed by the state was the norm, while in the Spanish section, the predominant system was communal grounds, and a hierarchy of tenancy that clashed. By June 15, Boyer was still promising nationally donated land. To donate this land, the Haitian administration prohibited ownership of land by white Dominicans, depriving the main popular families of the country of their lands.
The portion of freed slaves who did not wish to keep working with their former masters had little option but to join the military, which formed the Battalion 22, which joined the 'morenos libres' (free coloreds/dark-skinned people) under Colonel Pablo Ali constituted the principal military force to the east of the island.
Other cultural changes were the restriction of the Spanish language, and traditional customs, like
cockfight
A cockfight is a blood sport, held in a ring called a cockpit. The history of raising fowl for fighting goes back 6,000 years. The first documented use of the ''word'' gamecock, denoting use of the cock as to a "game", a sport, pastime or ente ...
s were outlawed.
Boyer enacted a rural code which was "designed to force yeomen into large-scale production of export crops. The nation, however, lacked the wherewithal, the enthusiasm, and the discipline to enforce the code".
Haitian rule over the entire island lasted 22 years. It wasn't until 1844 that independence was once again proclaimed for the eastern side of Hispaniola until the rise of
Juan Pablo Duarte y Díez.
Eventually, the Haitian government became very unpopular, due to the severe economic crisis that hit the country after paying a huge indemnity to France, and gave rise to many anti-Haitian plots. It lasted until 1844, when the independent nation of the
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...
was established.
See also
*
History of the Dominican Republic
The recorded history of the Dominican Republic began in 1492 when the Genoa-born navigator Christopher Columbus, working for the Crown of Castile, happened upon a large island in the region of the western Atlantic Ocean that later came to be kno ...
*
José Núñez de Cáceres
José Núñez de Cáceres y Albor (March 14, 1772 – September 11, 1846) was a Dominican politician and writer. He is known for being the leader of the independence movement against Spain in 1821 and the only president of the short-lived Repu ...
*
Unification of Hispaniola
The Haitian occupation of Santo Domingo ( es, Ocupación haitiana de Santo Domingo; french: Occupation haïtienne de Saint-Domingue; ht, Okipasyon ayisyen nan Sen Domeng) was the annexation and merger of then-independent Republic of Spanish Hai ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Republic Of Spanish Haiti
1822 disestablishments in North America
History of the Dominican Republic
History of Haiti
19th century in the Dominican Republic
States and territories established in 1821
Former countries in the Caribbean