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The History of the Dominican Republic:
The first inhabitants of Hispaniola (Dominican Republic) arrived in three groups. The first groups were the nomadic, migrant people that lived in Amazonia. The second group was the Salaoids who lived mostly in Guianas and Trinidad. These people were excellent ceramists and we can trace them by their pottery. The third group of people came right before the Christian era. Historians disagree on where these people came from. Perhaps they came from either the Peruvian Andes or from the banks of the Drinoco River. These people are thought to have canoed down the Orinoco. In time they absorbed or eliminated most members of the two earlier groups. This third group called themselves Tainos, or "friendly people". There were about 400,000 Tainos at the time Christopher Columbus arrived in 1492. A chief controlled a large village containing between one thousand and two thousand people governed by the Tainos. They lived in wood and thatched housed and slept in hammocks. These houses were irregularly arranged around a main plaza. Related families often lived in one house, which was not partitioned for privacy.
The men wore only loincloths, if anything at all! Unmarried women wore headbands, while married women wore little skirts. They mostly farmed and fished for their food. They became extinct as a result of exploitation by the Spanish colonists. At this time the Spanish language took root and spread through the Dominican Republic. The Spanish imported slaves to take the place of the Arawak laborers. In 1697 the portion of Hispaniola that had been occupied by French adventurers became Saint-Dominque that it is now Haiti. The remaining Spanish section was called Santo Damingo and is now the Dominican Republic.
The French section of the island flourished while the Spanish area declined. Spain finally gave Santo Domingo to France in 1795. Then, Haiti ousted the French in 1804 and Spain occupied it for another 5 years. The Spanish became increasingly tyrannical and in 1821 the Dominicans revolted and proclaimed their independence. This independence didn't last long. The next year Haitian president Jean Pierre Boyer took the country over. Boyer ruled until a revolution in 1844. A year later Santo Domingo declared another independence forming the Dominican Republic. Internal problems continued in the Dominican Republic. One political group wanted Spanish rule and the other wanted annexation to the U.S. A popular revolt (1863-1864) helped by the U.S., forced the Spanish government out of the Dominican Republic. Political problems continued throughout the 19th Century, but in 1924 the American occupation ended.
The Trujillo Era began in 1930 and ended in 1961. Trujillo was a dictator who controlled everything in the country. He was assassinated in 1961. The U.S. tried repeatedly to help the Dominican Republic establish a democracy. But, the country continued to have many political problems. Finally the Balaguer government came into power. It was not completely democratic, but it did restore stability to the country and helped the country economically. In the 1970's decline in the prices of sugar (one of the country's main exports) and two hurricanes left the country in poverty again. Shortly after, Senator Salvador Jorge Blanco was elected president. He also proved to be a terrible leader and was defeated by Jose Franciso Pena Gonez, who is President of the Dominican Republic now.
Did you know?
Did you know that the Dominican Republic has had only 6 presidents?
Did you know that the water is clear?
Did you know that the Dominican Republic Baseball games are $2.00?
Did you know that 98% of the Dominican Republic is Roman Catholic?
Did you know that $1.00 = 15 pesos?
Did you know that the Dominican Republic has a wide range of foods?
Did you know that the tobbaco industry is huge?
Did you know that raising a baseball player is just about the only chance to become wealthy?
Did you know that the Dominican Republic and Haiti make up the island of Hispaniola?
Pages by:David
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