FRANCISCO DEL ROSARIO SANCHEZ
“On February 27, 1844, a young man who lived wandering and exiled by the Haitian government, and whose funeral had already been held, appeared as if in an apparition to his fellow citizens, calling them to arms. God, Country and Liberty were his war cries, and his heroic emblem a crossed flag. The Dominicans responded to this sublime alert with all the enthusiasm of patriotism, and a new republican star shone in the skies of America. . . . The first soldier of independence, he died with the nationality and independence of the country. In 1844 he became a great and heroic public figure, and died a great and heroic man in 1861.” Manuel Rodríguez Objío, “Relations,” 1870.
http://www.oas.org/children/heroes/D.%20Republic%20Heroes/Del%20Rosario.htm
History
The Dominican Republic was the site of the first permanent European settlement in the Americas after Greenland, and became the first point of colonization in the Western Hemisphere by explorers from Europe. Present-day Dominican Republic has the first cathedral, university, road, and fortress of the Americas, and Santo Domingo was the first city founded there. Santo Domingo was also the first capital in the Americas.
Taínos
Before the Spanish and French colonization of the island of Hispaniola, it was the home of the indigenous people: the Taínos. The Taínos, were almost completely exterminated by the Spanish invaders who took over land and created plantations where Africans were brought in to work as slaves for European profits. Many Tainos escaped into the mountains of the island forming Marroon colonies with escaped Africans. These colonies would later play a major role in the Haitian Revolution that would eventually liberate the entire island from invading European colonialists in 1822.
European colonization
Christopher Columbus explored Hispaniola during his first voyage to America in 1492. On his return the following year, Columbus founded the first permanent European settlement in America, after the Viking settlement in Newfoundland, Canada, in an expedient manner. The natives who were not killed by disease were enslaved. Hispaniola became a springboard for Spanish conquest of the Caribbean mainland.
Abolished slavery and unification of Spanish and French Haiti
In 1801, Toussaint Louverture unified the former Spanish Colony of Santo Domingo or Spanish Haiti (which became the Dominincan Republic) which was ceded to France in 1795 and abolished slavery. He than unified French and Spanish Haiti.
Creation and Development of the Republic
Spanish lieutenant governor José Núñez de Cáceres declared the colony’s independence as the state of Spanish Haiti (Haití Español) on November 30, 1821, requesting admission to the Republic of Gran Colombia, but Haitian forces, led by Jean-Pierre Boyer, unified the entire island , ending 300 years of colonial domination and slavery just nine weeks later. In 1838 Juan Pablo Duarte, founded a secret society called La Trinitaria that sought pure and simple independence of the eastern part of the island without any foreign intervention. Ramón Matías Mella and Francisco del Rosario Sánchez (the latter one being a mestizo[7]), in spite of not being among the founding members, went on to be decisive in the fight for independence and are now hailed (along with Duarte) as the Founding Fathers of the Dominican Republic. On February 27, 1844, the Trinitarios declared independence from Haiti, backed by Pedro Santana, a wealthy cattle-rancher from El Seibo. The Dominican Republic’s first Constitution was adopted on November 6, 1844.
Ulises ‘Lilís’ HeureauxIn 1861, then president Pedro Santana decided to return the Dominican Republic to Spain, but a civil war called the War of Restoration led by 2 men; Ulises Heureaux who was of black haitian origin (and 3 time President of the Dominican Republic) and Gen. Gregorio Luperón. Restoration War started on August 16, 1863 and, after two years of fighting, Spanish troops abandoned the island. The Dominincan Republic offered to allow the United States to take it over as a colony for 1.5 million dollars but the United States Congress refused.
Dominican-Haitian Wars
Haiti engaged in various invasions to undermine the sovereignty of the newly created Dominican Republic in what is known as the Dominican-Haitian Wars. Haitian-Dominican War I was carried out by the invasion of General Periot in 1845, who was defeated in the Battle of La Estrelleta and Sabana de Beller.
Dominican-Haitian War II was carried out by Faustine Soulouque in 1849, who was defeated at the Battles of El Numero and Las Carreras.
Dominican-Haitian War III was the last invasion by Soulouque,in 1855, where he was defeated at the Battles of Santome and El Cambronal(near Neiba) and Sabana Larga in 1856.
Quisqueya Now II 