August 3rd, 1492, Christopher Columbus would depart from Spain in efforts to reach the New World and to try to colonize it. December 5th, of the same year, Columbus would arrive to an island in the Caribbean, which he proceeded to claim and call “La Espanola” (Hispaniola). More Spaniards came to the island to colonize it and create a plantation economy because the island was so rich and diverse in their resources. Nearly 200 years later, when France became a major European power, the French decided to invade The Hispaniola in efforts to take it away from the Spaniards. Spain at first ceded the western third of the island (now Haiti) and later on the other two thirds (Dominican Republic). Haiti eventually had a revolution and became …show more content…
Although Spain had settled first in the island, major European power France managed to come to the island and Spain was forced to cede the western coast of the island to the French. Today, Haiti still maintains a great French influence as they have two official languages that include Creole and French. Their population is comprised of 95% black and 5% white. Their religion consists of about 80% Roman Catholics and the other 20% consists mostly of Protestants. The Eastern two thirds of the Hispaniola is occupied by Dominican Republic, 19 00 N, 70 40 W. Like mentioned before, Dominican Republic has a population of a little over 10 million people that are composed of 73% mixed, 16% white and 11% black. About 95% of the Dominican population is Roman Catholics, which can be tracked back to when the Spanish colonized them and their official language is Spanish. Although both countries are on the same island, their climates differ a little. Haiti’s climate is mostly topical, but it is also semiarid because the mountains cut off trade winds and Haiti’s terrain is mostly rough and mountainous. While Dominican Republic’s climate is also tropical maritime, they have little seasonal temperature variation and also seasonal variation in rainfall and their terrain consists of rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed. The difference in their terrain is mostly due to the fact that over the years, Dominican Republic has tried to preserve their forests and natural
The Dominican Republic is situated on the eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola. The remaining one third of the Island belongs to the country of Haiti. While it is not the intent of this essay to discuss the complete history of the country, it is important to mention that the Haitian side of the island was colonized by France while the Dominican side was colonized by Spain. The Spanish oppressed the indigenous native population that was on the island for a long time and after three centuries of occupation by the Spanish, the Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic was explored by Christopher Columbus in 1492. When he first discovered it, he named it ‘La Española.’ It became an official country in 1844. The capital is Santo Domingo and the population is about 10.4 million people. The main language spoken there is Spanish, the main religion is Roman Catholic, and their Independence Day is February 27, 1844, which makes it younger than the United States.
Within the unique culture of the Dominican Republic, the complex heritage of Arawak, Spanish, African, and French lore, is unique to the Dominican Republic compared to other Caribbean islands. Moreover, the country maintains close ties with the United States. Currently, the people of the Dominican Republic are striving to build a democracy against the unscrupulous and authoritarian politically privileged leadership. A large element that shapes Dominican national identity is its Spanish heritage. Currently in this country, light skin color, which is marked to reflect European ancestry, is valued, while dark skin tones indicate West African slave ancestry. The Roman Catholic cathedrals still are in existence and the majority of the population
The division of Hispaniola began through the conflict of the French and Spanish trying to control the New World in the 17th century. The split in 1697 resolved the dispute making them two different countries. The Dominican Republic was still a part of Spain along with Haiti a part of France until the 1800s when they became independent (Lancer). The Dominicans then began to take advantage of the Haitians and use them as slaves. So in 1805 Jean-Jacques Dessalines, the ruler of Haiti, invaded the eastern part of the island of Hispaniola because of the slave raiding going on in the Dominican Republic. This wasn’t entirely successful, so in 1821 Santiago was finally overthrown by José Núñez de Cáceres. He was part of a group trying to break away from Spain and become independent. The Dominican
The first instance of colonialism forced upon the inhabitants of the Dominican Republic was the “discovery” by Christopher Columbus on October 12, 1492. Ernesto Sagas and Orlando Inoa presented the interaction in their book The Dominican People: A Documentary History. The confrontation between these two diametrically opposed cultures proved to be “far from equal; the Amerindians’ Stone Age culture was no match for European military technology. The initial encounter took place on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, part of which is now the Dominican Republic” (Inoa pg. 1). This was the first step in a trek through five and a half centuries of Dominican Republic history, and unfortunately much of it was filled with
This village, named Isabella, became the first outpost of the Spanish Empire. One of these new ideas for governing was the use of native slave labor on plantations. This was the beginning of the long history of slavery that Haiti is known for. The placement of Hispaniola as the gateway to the Caribbean region made it a highly wanted location. Sir Francis Drake, along with other buccaneers, made several attacks against the island. Although they were never successful, these battles slowly deteriorated the dominance of Spain. French residents from the island of Tortuga noticed this decline in power, and started to move into Hispaniola. By the mid-eighteenth century, a territory largely neglected under Spanish rule had become the richest colony in the Western Hemisphere. The mixture of races that eventually divided Haiti into a small, mostly mulatto elite and an impoverished black majority started with the white slave owners reproducing with the African women. In 1791, there was a slave rebellion led by Francois-Dominique Toussaint Louverture. They killed every white person they seen. They put every white house or building that the white people owned on fire. The burnings of the
What makes Haiti so different from Dominican Republic? The reason started all the way back in the 1600’s with an island previously known as Hispaniola. The French sailed to the side of what we now call Haiti, while the Spanish sailed to the other side, Dominican Republic. They both took over each side and fought for the land. It was only until 1697 when the French and the Spanish resolved their dispute.
When Columbus returned in November 1493 he was surprised to learn that the settlement he had left behind had been destroyed. Some of the 39 men had clashed with the Taino Indians, and were killed. Other crewmembers had become sick, unable to cope with the harsh environment of the Caribbean. As time progressed, small settlements were founded across the island, and the heart of the Spanish conquest in the New World, Hispaniola, began to develop accordingly. In April 1493 a settlement on the northern coast called La Isabela was founded in what is now the province of Puerto Plata, and in 1494 Concepcion de la Vega was founded.
An important fact to consider mentioned in the video is that “people of the Dominican Republic are proud of being from a mixed society, and that Haitians are proud to be black”. Furthermore, and based on the interviews given by multiple Dominican leaders, it is said that 90% of the population have afro descendants, in other words African ancestry. However, Juan Rodriguez, the director of cultural diversity when asked in the interview by the reporter if he considered himself part of the African American ethnicity he responded “I am Indio, nobody’s negro here”. This response has to do a lot with how the country had been shaped in the past, and how the country ended with the sugar industry to have instead cattle ranching which became the occupation of the slaves when brought to the New World. There is a part of the video that the reporter is interviewing this folk and he mentions that in the U.S. the Dominican people would be considered black, and not from Spanish descent.
Haiti is the second largest Caribbean Island. It occupies a third of the western part of the island it shares with the Dominican Republic. Haiti is also made up of several islands that surround the main territory. The capital is Port-au-Prince. It rains between November and March in the North of the island and between May and October in the South. “Once covered by forest, the country has been heavily logged for wood and fuel and to clear land for farming, and is now largely deforested.” Haiti is divided into “nine administrative departments.” Besides the capital, other important cities are Cap-Haitien and Gonaives. “Haiti is the most densely populated country in Latin America and has the lowest per
Hispaniola or la Espanola, named by Christopher Columbus after his landing in 1492, is one of the largest island lying in the Caribbean Sea. The island is divided politically into the Dominican Republic and Haiti. One island, barely a barrier and yet, two completely different cultures and two completely different nations. The island was divided as a result of colonization. While the French colonized the west part of the island, what is today known as Haiti, and the Spanish colonized the east part of the island and what is today known as the Dominican Republic. As a result of those two different colonizations by two completely different nations with different cultures, Haiti and the Dominican Republic became two nations. However, for two nations on the same island with similar ancestry and a similar history, the Dominican Republic and Haiti are in a position where they could help each other if they were ever a time help was needed. That is not the case. After colonization and they fought for their freedoms, the history between the two nations turned bitter. Therefore, the political relationship between Haiti and the Dominican Republic is a tense affair between two embittered nations occupying one island.
In order to understand the current situation of these two countries it is important to look back, to their history, from the beginning of the colonial period. From when Christopher Columbus "discovered" the New World in 1492. He named the island of Hayti Hispaniola – Little Spain. The Spaniards soon after discovering the island, established themselves permanently on Hispaniola, building the city of Santo Domingo. in 1521, Hernan Cortes had discovered Mexico, and Pizarro was overrunning Peru, both of these colonies were rich in gold and silver. By 1548, the Indian population had been reduced and the reserves of gold in the colony were declining. This made Santo Domingo become of less value to the Spaniards, which lead to most Spanish settlers to quickly leave the island for the richer lands of Mexico and
The Hispaniola is a small island in the Caribbean which is currently composed by the Dominican Republic and the Republic of Haiti. These two countries despite sharing an island and historical institutions are completely different. While the Dominican Republic enjoys the beauty of the Caribbean and its weather, Haiti suffers the consequences of it. These two countries share certain similarities, but within these similarities there is a big difference. The Dominican Republic and Haiti have a similar economy, environment, and education system, but in
Having set sail in early August of 1492, it took Columbus and his crew around two months until they would “discover” land around early October. It is in the early instances of contact that Columbus shows signs of superiority through language. When he encounters an island, one of the first actions Columbus takes is to claim and name the island. From his journal entry on October 15th, Columbus and his crew encounter a piece of and Columbus writes, “From this island I sighted another larger one to the
Before colonization, the Dominican Republic and Haiti were a united island called La Hispaniola. The Spaniard, Christopher Columbus and his crew, arrived in 1492 to establish the first European colony. In pursuit of exploration, Columbus begun colonizing the Western portion of Hispaniola, which consist of Haiti, while steadily spreading westward. Spain retained power in La Hispaniola for almost three centuries finical issues arose in the Empire. To retain funds, Spain sold one-third of the island to France. The remaining two-thirds were ceded to France by 1795. Turmoil arose from the continuing presence of French citizens, which caused the Haitian Revolution to erupt. The French, with their own revolution occurring did not have the military