Eugenio María de Hostos

Eugenio María e Hostos

Eugenio María de Hostos
Born Eugenio María de Hostos y Bonilla
January 11, 1839
Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
Died August 11, 1903(1903-08-11) (aged 64)
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Occupation educator, philosopher, national activist
Nationality Puerto Rican
Spouse(s) Belinda Otilia de Ayala Quintana
Children Eugenio Carlos, Luisa Amelia, Bayoan Lautaro, Felipo Luís Duarte, María Angelina.

Eugenio María de Hostos (January 11, 1839 – August 11, 1903) known as "El Ciudadano de América" (meaning: The Citizen of the Americas), was a Puerto Rican educator, philosopher, intellectual, lawyer, sociologist and independence advocate.

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Early years and family

Hostos (birth name: Eugenio María de Hostos y Bonilla) was born into a well-to-do family in the Barrio "Río Cañas" of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. His parents were Don Eugenio María de Hostos y Rodriguez (1807–1897) and Doña María Hilaria de Bonilla y Cintron (died 1862 in Madrid).[1][2]

The Hostos family surname originally (Ostos) came from the Castile region of Spain with Don Eugenio de Ostos y Del Valle born Ecija, Seville, Spain emigrated to Camagüey, Cuba and married in 1736, with Doña María Josefa del Castillo y Aranda. It was their son Don Juan José de Ostos y del Castillo who settled in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.[3]

At a young age his family sent him to San Juan, where he received his elementary education in the Liceo de San Juan. In 1852, his family then sent him to Bilbao, Spain, where he graduated from the Institute of Secondary Education (high school).[4]

After he graduated, he enrolled and attended the Central University of Madrid. He studied law, philosophy and letters. As a student there, he became interested in politics. In 1863, he also wrote what is considered his greatest work, "La Peregrinación de Bayoan". When Spain adopted its new constitution in 1869 and refused to grant Puerto Rico its independence, Hostos left and went to the United States.[5]

Hostos arrived in the city of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic where he settled with his wife, Belinda Otilia de Ayala Quintana (1862–1917), a Cuban national, whom he married in 1877 in Caracas, Venezuela and had five children, his first son Carlos Eugenio was born (1879, Santo Domingo), Luisa Amelia (1881), Bayoan Lautaro (1885), Felipo Luís Duarte (born 1890 in Chile), María Angelina (born 1892 in Chile).[1][6]

Independence advocate

In the U.S. he joined the Cuban Revolutionary Committee and became the editor of a journal called La Revolución. Hostos believed in the creation of an Antillano Confederation between Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Cuba. This idea was embraced by fellow Puerto Ricans Ramón Emeterio Betances and Segundo Ruiz Belvis. One of the things that disappointed Hostos was that he realized that in Puerto Rico and in Cuba there were many people who wanted their independence from Spain, but who did not embrace the idea of becoming revolutionist. Instead they preferred to be annexed by the United States.[4]

Hostos wanted to promote the independence of Puerto Rico and Cuba and the idea of an Antillean Confederation ("Confederación Antillana"), and he therefore traveled to many countries. Among the countries he went promoting his idea were: the United States, France, Colombia, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and the former Danish colony of St. Thomas which is now part of the United States Virgin Islands.[5]

Contributions to Latin America

While in Peru, Hostos helped to develop that country's educational system and spoke against the harsh treatment given to the Chinese who lived there. He stayed in Chile from 1870 to 1873. During his stay there, he taught at the University of Chile and gave a speech titled "The Scientific Education of Women." He proposed in his speech that governments permit women in their colleges. Soon after, Chile allowed women to enter its college educational system. On September 29, 1873, he went to Argentina and proposed a railroad system between Argentina and Chile. His proposal was accepted and the first locomotive was named after him.[4]

Educator

In 1875, Hostos went to the Dominican Republic, where he founded, in Santo Domingo, the first Normal School (Teachers College) and introduced advanced teaching methods, although these had been openly opposed by the local Catholic Church; nonetheless, his response to these criticism was calm and constructive, as many of his writings reveal. In 1876, Hostos traveled to Venezuela and married Belinda Otilia de Ayala. Their maid of honor was renowned Puerto Rican poet Lola Rodríguez de Tió. He returned to the Dominican Republic in 1879 when the first Normal School was finally inaugurated. He was named director and he helped establish a second Normal School in the city of Santiago de los Caballeros.[4]

Hostos returned to the U.S. in 1898 and actively participated in the Puerto Rican and Cuban independence movements; his hopes for Puerto Rico's independence, after the Spanish-American War turned into disappointment when the United States government rejected his proposals and instead converted the island into a United States Territory.[5]

Later years

In 1900, Hostos returned to the Dominican Republic, where he continued to play a major role in reorganizing the educational and railroad systems.

He wrote many essays on social-science topics, such as: psychology, logic, literature, rights and is considered as one of the first systematic sociologists in Latin America. He was also known to be a supporter of women's rights.[7]

On August 11, 1903, Hostos died in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He is buried in the National Pantheon located in the colonial district of that city. Per his final wishes, his remains are to stay permanentely in the Dominican Republic until the day Puerto Rico is completely independent. Then and only then, does he want to be reinterred in his native homeland. Hostos wrote his own epitaph:[5]

"I wish that they will say: In that island (Puerto Rico) a man was born who loved truth, desired justice, and worked for the good of men."

Honors and recognitions

In 1938, the 8th International Conference of America celebrated in Lima, Peru, posthumously paid tribute to Hostos and declared him "Citizen of the Americas and Teacher of the Youth". Puerto Rico declared his birthday an official holiday. There is a monument honoring Hostos in Spain.

In Puerto Rico there are two monuments dedicated to Hostos:

The Municipality of Mayagüez had inaugurated a cultural center and museum near his birthplace in Río Cañas Arriba ward. The city of Mayagüez also have named in his honor:

In 1970, the City University of New York inaugurated Hostos Community College, located in the southern part of the Bronx. The school serves as a starting point for many students who wish to seek careers in such fields as dental hygiene, gerontology, and public administration.[8]

In 1995, the Eugenio María de Hostos School of Law was established in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. The Hostos Law School aspires to achieve the development of a legal professional that is also responsive to the needs of his or her communities and embraces Hostos educational philosophy.[9] There was also a Intermediate School in Brooklyn, New York named after Hostos named Eugenio Maria De Hostos I.S 318. There is also a High school named Eugenio Maria De Hostos in Union City, New Jersey.

There is an elementary school in Yonkers, New York named after him, Eugenio María de Hostos Microsociety School.[10]

Written works

Among his written works are the following[11]:

Ancestors of Eugenio María de Hostos

See also

Puerto Rico portal
Biography portal
Literature portal

References

  1. ^ a b CHRONOLOGY of EUGENIO MARÍA DE HOSTOS
  2. ^ BIOGRAPHY
  3. ^ a b c d Genealogía de don Eugenio María de Hostos
  4. ^ a b c d Short Biography on Hostos
  5. ^ a b c d Hostos y Bonilla
  6. ^ The Family of Eugenio María de Hostos / Su familia
  7. ^ Biography
  8. ^ Official Webpage of Eugenio M. Hostos Community College
  9. ^ www.hostos.edu
  10. ^ http://www.yonkerspublicschools.org/schools/schools_dehostos.php
  11. ^ Eugenio Maria de Hostos written works
  12. ^ a b c d e "Field Listing – The Family of Eugenio María de Hostos/Su familia". www.hostos.cuny.edu. http://www.hostos.cuny.edu/LIBRARY/Hostos%20Page/Photo_gallery/PHOTOGALLERY_su_familia.htm. Retrieved 2009-10-06. 
  13. ^ a b José Francisco Peña Gómez: internacional, socialdemócrata e inmortal

Further reading

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