The Dominican Republic is getting a lot of limelight nowadays since it has become one of the most popular tourist spots. The Dominican Republic shares an island with Hispaniola and the Republic of Haiti. The closest neighbors of the Dominican are Puerto Rice that is on the east, Venezuela that is on the South and Jamaica and Cuba that is on the west of the DR.
With an exceptional geographical location, this Spanish-speaking place has the most interesting history. In this article, we will take you through the history of the Dominican Republic and all the critical historic events that took place in the country. So, let’s have a look at the most important events in Dominican Republic history.
The Most Important Events in Dominican Republic History:
The Dominican Republic Mentioned below is the complete history of the Dominican Republic so let’s look at it. Mentioned below are all the most important events in Dominican Republic history.
Christopher Columbus and His Discovery:
Christopher Columbus was the first person to land in the Dominican Republic. He reached this land on December 5, 1492. He was the person who claimed 2/3rds of the Dominican land. The remaining 1/3rd of the Dominican Republic belongs to Haiti.
Actually, Christopher Columbus was wandering in search of India, but reached the Dominican by mistake. When he reached Dominican, it was a fertile land that was controlled by the Taínos Indians. This is one of the reasons that the natives of the Dominican are known to be the Indians. The Dominican Republic was previously named as the Quisqueya and was renamed after the Island of Santo Domingo.
The Assassination of the Taínos:
The following important event in the Dominican Republic’s history is Taínos’ assassination. This extermination of the Tainos was a very long era in the Dominican Republic. The Tainos welcomed the Spaniards initially, but as soon as they came to the Dominican Republic, they started infiltrating their land. When the invasion of the Spaniards started, it was seen that the Tainos started fighting and resisting their control.
During this time, it was seen that many people were executed and one of them was Queen Anacaona. Chief Enriquillo and Guacanagari were some of the prominent personalities that struggled for the independence of their people. After sometime the Spaniards were able to outnumber the Taino’s and at the end of 1560 it was seen that the Taino people were wiped off the land completely.
The Struggle for Independence:
Once the Spaniards were able to rule the Dominican land it was seen that they started neglecting it and they were not putting effort in the success of the land. This was why Santo Domingo wanted to break the rule of the Spaniards.
A Spanish lieutenant, Jose Nunez de Caceres, announced temporary independence. However, the independent process was not as simple as they thought. Soon after the announcement of the independence, approx. 3 months, the troops of the Haiti Republic attacked them.
Once the Spaniards were wiped off the island, the success of the Dominican Island started. Slavery was put to an end, captivity of people was stopped, and the Church’s authority was removed. However, there were some drawbacks to the rule of the Haiti Republic. The men of the state were forced to join the army, and primary education was declined.
Due to this, much of the Dominican population flew to their neighboring islands like Cuba or Venezuela.
After this setback, the independence of Santo Domingo came in the early 1800s. The people of the Dominican Republic faced a lot of struggle. The prominent people that fought for Dominican independence were Romon Matias Mella, Juan Pablo Duarte, and Francisco del Rosario Sanchez.
All of these important names were the founding father of the First Constitution that was drafted on November 6th, 1844. This was when the Dominican Republic finally came into being, and now it has become one of the most popular places in the world.
The Dominican Restoration War:
After a little bit of stability in the existence of this island, there can be another break in their success. El Libertador Pedro Santana started colonialism back in the DR under the supervision of Spanish crowns in the year 1861.
In 1863 the Resolution War broke out on this island between the nationalists and the people of Spain, who had recolonized the country after 17 years of independence. On August 16, 1863, Santiago Rodriguez made a raid on the Capotillo, and he also raised a new Dominican flag on Capotillo hill. This was the beginning of the war.
This war continued for 3 years and ended on July 15, 1865. 4000 people were killed during this war, and 38 artillery pieces were captured. At the end of this war, Dominican sovereignty was restored. The Spanish forces withdrew all their men, and Santo Domingo separated from Spain.
The Success of Dominican Republic After the Hardships:
We know that the past of Dominica is packed with the most important events that lead to independence of the Dominican Republic. There were a lot of situations and incidents that made this island one of the worst and the most disastrous places in the entire world. This island faced a lot of struggles when it came to attaining the independence it longed for.
The Dominicans faced a lot of torture, and many fundamental human rights were not given to them, such as education. Hence, their hardships and efforts bore fruit and they got what they wished for.
Now the Dominican Republic is one of the most visited places worldwide. This is the place where you’ll find the most stunning beaches. There are a lot of fun activities that you can do here, with the top attraction being unwinding at its beaches.
Conclusion:
Dominican Republic had a very dark and hard past. There were a lot of sacrifices made by the people of the Dominican Republic. But after all of these hardships Dominican is now one of the biggest tourist spots ever. In this article, we have summarized a brief overview of the most important events in Dominican Republic history that influenced this country greatly. Hope you find this comprehensive article helpful.