Dominican War of Independence
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The Dominican Independence War gave the Dominican Republic independence from Haiti. Prior to the war, the whole island of Hispaniola had been Haitian for 22 years when Haiti occupied the newly independent state of Spanish Haiti. Juan Pablo Duarte was twenty years old, educated, a genuine nationalist, and the man that helped lead and inspire the Dominican Independence War of 1844. Duarte, along with Matías Ramón Mella and Francisco del Rosario Sánchez founded a group in 1838. Their movement was called La Trinitaria (The Trinity), because its original nine members had organized themselves into cells of three; the cells went on to recruit as separate organizations, maintaining strict secrecy, with little or no direct contact among themselves in order to minimize the possibility of detection by the Haitian authorities. Many recruits quickly came to the group, but it was discovered and forced to change its name to La Filantrópica, where it continued agitating the Haitians.
In 1843 the revolution made a breakthrough, while working with a liberal Haitian party, they overthrew President Boyer. Unfortunately, the Trinitarios work in the overthrow was noticed by Boyer’s replacement, Charles Riviere-Hérard. Rivière-Hérard imprisoned some Trinitarios and forced Duarte to leave the island. While gone, Duarte searched for support in Colombia and Venezuela, but was unsuccessful. In December 1843, the rebels told Duarte to return since they had to act quickly because they were afraid the Haitians had learned of their insurrection plans. When Duarte had not returned by February (because of illness), the rebels decided to take action anyways with the leadership of Francisco del Rosario Sánchez, Ramón Mella, and by Pedro Santana, a wealthy cattle-rancher from El Seibo who commanded a private army of peons who worked on his estates.
On February 27, 1844 - thereafter celebrated as Dominican Independence Day - the rebels seized the Ozama fortress in the capital. The Haitian garrison, taken by surprise and apparently betrayed by at least one of its sentries, retired in disarray. Within two days, all Haitian officials had left Santo Domingo. Ramón Mella headed the provisional governing junta of the new Dominican Republic. On March 14, Duarte finally returned after recovering from his illness and was greeted in celebration.
Pedro Santana’s military forces continued to defend the republic against all the Haitian attacks defeating them in the battles of March 19, March 30, El Memiso and at Puerto Tortuguero. In early July 1844, Duarte was urged by his followers to take the title of president of the republic. Duarte agreed too but only if a free election was arranged. However, Santana’s forces took Santo Domingo on July 12, 1844, and they declared Santana ruler of the Dominican Republic. Santana then put Mella, Duarte, and Sánchez all in jail.
In November 6, 1844 a constituent assembly drafted a constitution, based on the Haitian and United States models, which established separation of powers and legislative checks on the executive. However, Santana included in it Article 210, which granted him power untrammeled power during the current war against Haiti. The war continued throughout September and November of 1845 being the Haitians defeated at Estrelleta and Beler. Santana remained as President until 1848 when he lost the election, only to seize power by a coup the year after, when the Haitian President Faustin Soulouque attacked and was defeated at El Número and at Las Carreras.
