The Dominican Republic gained its independence from Haiti on February 27,

1844, after more than 20 years of Haitian occupation of the island. This
event was led by Juan Pablo Duarte and the secret movement La Trinitaria.
The main events were:

• Juan Pablo Duarte founded the secret society La Trinitaria in 1838 with
the objective of achieving the independence of the eastern part of the
island, then under Haitian rule.

• On January 16, 1844, La Trinitaria issued the "Manifiesto de los pueblos

del Este" (Manifesto of the people of the East) setting out the reasons for
separating from Haiti.

• On February 27, 1844, Ramón Matías Mella gave the "trabucazo" at the
Puerta de la Misericordia in Santo Domingo, starting the revolt. Francisco
del Rosario Sánchez raised the Dominican flag at the Puerta del Conde.

• The independence of the Dominican Republic as a sovereign state was

proclaimed, putting an end to Haitian rule in the eastern part of the
island.

• Women such as Rosa Duarte, María Trinidad Sánchez and others also
actively participated in the independence movement.
After gaining independence from Haiti on February 27, 1844, the Dominican Republic
went through the following important historical events:

First Republic (1844-1861)

• The first Constitution was proclaimed on November 6, 1844, establishing a republican
government.

• Pedro Santana ruled as dictator and in 1861 annexed the country to Spain, putting an
end to this first republican stage.

Annexation to Spain (1861-1865)

• In 1861, the Dominican Republic was annexed to the Spanish crown by Santana's
administration.

• This generated great popular discontent and on August 16, 1863, the War of
Restoration broke out, led by patriots such as Gregorio Luperón.

Second Republic (1865-1916)

• On September 16, 1863 the Republic was restored after defeating the Spanish forces.

• There was political instability with frequent changes of government and revolutions.

• In 1916, the first U.S. military intervention took place until 1924.
Dominican War of Independence (1844-1856)

• Battle of March 19 or Battle of Azua (March 19, 1844) - First major battle in defense of
independence.

• First naval battle (April 15, 1844) - Dominicans sank three Haitian ships.

War of the Restoration (1863-1865)

• Battles against annexation to Spain led by the Restorationists.

Patriotic War (1965)

• Popular revolt against the government of Donald Reid Cabral after the overthrow of
Juan Bosch.

April War (1965)

• Clashes between constitutionalist forces and troops loyal to Reid Cabral.

Economy

• In 1844, after independence, the economy was based mainly on the

exploitation of precious wood (mahogany, guayacán, campeche), cattle
raising and tobacco cultivation.

• The war for independence against Haiti (1844-1856) caused a great

decline in all productive activities by recruiting thousands of workers in
the army.

• In the last two decades, the Dominican Republic has been one of the
fastest growing economies in the region thanks to market-oriented
reforms in the 1990s.

• However, growth has slowed recently due to low productivity,

insufficient human capital and natural disasters.
Culture

• The war of independence against Haiti (1844-1856) helped forge a

Dominican national identity in the face of the "Haitian enemy".

• The civil wars and fratricidal conflicts of the 19th and 20th centuries
left deep scars on Dominican society.

• Culture has been influenced by the various governments and

dictatorships, such as that of Trujillo (1930-1961), which sought to
mold a national identity.

• In short, the economy evolved from an agricultural and extractive base

to growth driven by market reforms, while culture forged a national
identity through wars and internal conflicts.