The Six Years' War (; 1868–74) was a civil war in 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 with ...

that "constituted the third war of independence fought by the Dominican people", in this case against the administration of President

Buenaventura Báez Ramón Buenaventura Báez Méndez (July 14, 1812March 14, 1884), was a Dominican politician and military figure. He was president of the Dominican Republic for five nonconsecutive terms. His rule was characterized by being very corrupt and govern ...

, which in 1869 negotiated the Dominican Republic's annexation to the United States. According to the Dominican intellectual

Pedro Henríquez Ureña Pedro Henríquez Ureña (June 29, 1884 – May 11, 1946) was a Dominican essayist, philosopher, humanist, philologist and literary critic. Biography Early works Pedro Henríquez Ureña was born in Santo Domingo, the third of four siblings. He ...

, this war was a critical phase in the creation of Dominican national consciousness because, having already differentiated themselves from the Haitians in the first war of independence and the Spaniards in

the second ''The Second'' is the second studio album by Canadian-American rock band Steppenwolf, released in October 1968 on ABC Dunhill Records. The album contains one of Steppenwolf's most famous songs, " Magic Carpet Ride". The background of the orig ...

, the Dominicans asserted their incompatibility with the United States.Frank Moya Pons, "The Incomplete State: The Dominican Republic, 1844–1961", in S. C. M. Paine (ed.), ''Nation Building, State Building, and Economic Development: Case Studies and Comparisons'' (Routledge, 2010), p. 172. The war was fought mainly by

irregulars Irregular military is any non-standard military component that is distinct from a country's national armed forces. Being defined by exclusion, there is significant variance in what comes under the term. It can refer to the type of military orga ...

(revolutionaries, intellectuals, conservative elements in the military) against the regular

Dominican Army The Dominican Army ( es, Ejército de República Dominicana, is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Dominican Republic, together with the Dominican Navy, Navy and the Dominican Air Force, Air Force. The Dominican army with 28,75 ...

loyal to Báez. According to

Hector Avalos Hector Avalos (October 8, 1958 – April 12, 2021) was a professor of Religious Studies at Iowa State University, cultural anthropologist, and the author of several books on religion.

, the civil war had a religious dimension, since the predominantly Catholic Dominicans, having already rejected Haitian ''Vodou'', now decisively rejected American Protestantism.

Hector Avalos Hector Avalos (October 8, 1958 – April 12, 2021) was a professor of Religious Studies at Iowa State University, cultural anthropologist, and the author of several books on religion.

, ''Introduction to the U.S. Latina and Latino Religious Experience'' (Brill Academic Publishers, 2004), p. 93. Dominican annexation was successful in the 1870 referendum, but was defeated in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

References

{{Reflist History of the Dominican Republic Second Dominican Republic Wars involving the Dominican Republic 19th-century revolutions 19th century in the Caribbean 19th century in the Dominican Republic Conflicts in 1868 Conflicts in 1874 Military history of the Caribbean