Dominican Republic history

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Dominican Republic history is a rich and colourful tapestry. The island that is now the Dominican Republic in the east and Haiti in the west, was first settled by hunter gatherer tribes of Caribes and Tainos. In December 1492, Christopher Columbus's ship Santa Maria ran aground on a reef near the island. This was Columbus` first voyage to the New World. At the time that Colombus `discovered` the island, the Taino Indians had named it "Quisqueya". Columbus subsequently re-named the island "Hispaniola".

With a population estimated at up to one million, the Tainos (meaning `the good`) were peaceful and hospitable to Columbus and his crew of Spaniards. Columbus was clearly very fond of the island and in his journal described it as "a beautiful island paradise with high forested mountains and large river valleys."

Gold deposits were found in the island's rivers and very soon, in 1493, the first European settlements were founded in La Isabela. Columbus' brother, Bartholomew, was appointed governor of Hispaniola. In 1496 he founded the city of Santo Domingo which became a springboard for the Spanish conquest of the Caribbean and the American mainland.

Sadly, because of disease and slavery, the native population was virtually wiped out in fifty years. A black period for Dominican Republic history.

As the settlers needed significant labour for their plantations, they began bringing African slaves to the island in 1503.

It didn`t take long for Santa Domingo to become a city of power and much influence and it became the representative seat of the Spanish royal court. However, by 1515 the gold deposits of Hispaniola had significantly dwindled and around this time the Spanish explorer Herman Cortes discovered silver deposits in Mexico. Upon hearing this news, most Spanish residents of Santo Domingo left for Mexico, leaving only a few thousand settlers behind. The remaining settlers sustained themselves by providing food and leather to Spanish ships passing Hispaniola on their way to the richer colonies on the American mainland.

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If you are interested in Dominican Republic history you may be interested in the Dominican national flag

Or even Dominican cuisine!

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The island of Hispaniola remained under Spanish control until 1697 when the western third of the island was ceded to the French. This area, which the French called "Saint Domingue", became the richest colony in the world thanks to large sugar plantations which were worked by hundreds of thousands of slaves imported from Africa.

In 1791 however, there was a slave revolt in Saint Domingue. This action led to the abolition of slavery in 1794 as the French did not want to lose this colony to the slaves. In 1804 the Republic of Haiti was established and the French then turned their attention to the eastern part of the island and gained control from the Spanish. In 1809 the Spanish regained control and by 1821 the Spanish settlers declared an independent state.

It was not long before Haitian forces invaded the eastern part of the island and incorporated Santo Domingo. The next 22 years of dominican history saw the entire island came under Haitian control. The loss the political and economic control led the former Spanish ruling class to develop an underground resistance group led by Juan Pablo Duarte called "La Trinitaria." After several attacks by La Trinitaria on the Haitian army, the Haitians retreated.

Juan Pablo Duarte, is regarded as the hero of Dominican Independence and played a key role in Dominican Republic history.

The Dominican Republic

On February 27, 1844, the eastern side of the island declared independence and gave their land the name "Dominican Republic."

Britain was the first country formally to recognise the DR in 1844.

In 1861, the Dominicans voluntarily returned to the Spanish Empire although in 1865, independence was restored. Restoration Day celebrates the day that a national war of "restoration" began, re-establishing the Dominican Republic's independence by 1865.

There then followed many years of political unrest and civil war in Dominican Republic history and in the early 1900's the United States intervened. In 1916 U.S. troops occupied the country and stayed until 1924 until a democratically elected Dominican government was established.

The head of the army that was put in place during the American occupation, Raphael Leonidas Trujilo, used his power to block government reform and shortly thereafter, took total control of power in the form of a repressive dictatorship. He and his family converted the country into a private enterprise, controlling the sugar industry, monopolies of distribution of basic products, shipping lines, airlines and the national lottery. Once again this was a dark period in Dominican Republic history.

Trujilo`s rule lasted until 1961 when his motorcade was ambushed and he was killed. The anniversary of his death is a public holiday in the Dominican Republic.

After Trujilo's death there was further political unrest and in 1965 when Lyndon B. Johnson ordered the U.S. marines to again occupy the country. In 1966 Dr. Joaquin Balaguer, a member of the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD), gained power.

Today Leonel Fernandez has been president since 2004. He was re-elected in June 2008 for another four year term.

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CHECK OUT MORE ABOUT THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

National holidays in Dominican Republic

If you were interested in the Dominican Republic flag you may wish to view Dominican Republic history

Check out Samana for the whale watching

More on Santo Domingo`s famous colonial zone

Check out Dominican cuisine

Larimar stone. The beautiful precious stone unique to the Dominican Republic

Or Dominican Republic travel tips

Golf in the Dominican Republic

Merengue music

Check out one of the main holiday destinations in the north-Puerto Plata

You may also wish to check out the resort of Punta Cana in the east of the Dominican Republic

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Dominican Republic History