The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar WaoDominicans, Diasporas and Nerds

The Greater Antilles

Dominican Republic & Haiti Hispaniola

Hispaniola, Cuba, Jamaica, & Puerto Rico are the Greater Antilles

The “Discovery” of the New World

1492 – Christopher Columbus’ 1st voyage to Hispanola Santa Maria shipwrecked and survivors settle on northern coast – La Navidad

Taino – indigenous peoples of HispanolaEstimated pre-Columbian population of 100,000 to 2 million

Estimated population in 1711 = 21,000

Of the Taino, Columbus wrote in a letter: “Many of the men I have seen have scars on their bodies, and when I made signs to them to find out how this happened, they indicated that people from other nearby islands come… to capture them... I believe that people from the mainland come here to take them as slaves. They ought to make good and skilled servants, for they repeat very quickly whatever we say to them… I could conquer the whole of them with 50 men, and govern them as I pleased.”

1493 – Columbus’ 2nd Voyage; La Navidad destroyed; Columbus orders local Tainos to deliver tribute of gold every three months or suffer the amputation of their hands

Local populations attempt to resist, some famously lead by female chief Anacaona after the death of her husband (OW 244)

1496 – Columbus’s brother, Bartholomew, establishes Santo Domingo

Height of Spanish Empire

Encomienda at CastaEncomienda subjugation of native chiefdoms, placing entire villages under“care” of Spaniards. Spaniards supposed to ensure natives worked for Spanish economy and to teach them to live like Christians

Casta system of racial hierarchy in which the purity of Spanish blood is linked with increased rights, power and privilege.

Castas:1. Peninsular –

Spaniard born in Spain

2. Criollo – Spaniard born in colonies

3. Indio – descendant of the colonized

4. Negro – descendant of African slaves

17th Century Depiction of Castas

Decolonization

1795 – Spain cedes western Hispanola to France

Population was up to 500,000 with 90% slaves

1795 – Toussaint L’Ouverture leads slave revolt against French

1801 – Toussaint captures Santo Domingo thus controlling all of Hispanola

1802 – Napoleon captures Toussaint

1804 – Rebel forces declare the Republic of Haiti

1808 – criollos of Santo Domingo overthrow French

1821 – Santo Domingo declares its independence as the Dominican Republic but then is quickly invaded by Haiti

1820s – early 1900s – DR resists control by Haiti, briefly becomes a Spanish colony again, suffers multiple coups and revolutions

noun: the attempt to end colonization and establish

independence

Dictatorship1905 – the Roosevelt corollary of the Monroe Doctrine

1916-1924 – U.S. military occupation of the Dominican Republic

1930 – the Election of Rafael TrujilloReceived U.S. support as an anti-communist leader

1934 – Trujillo recorded as richest man in DR

Renames the capital city, highest mountain and multiple provinces after himself

1937 - Begins massacre of all Haitians living in DR

1960 – executes Mirabal sisters and attempts to assassinate president of Venezuela

U.S. withdraws support of Trujillo

1961 – Trujillo assassinated

noun: government of absolute rule exercised by a

single individual

Diaspora

1963 – leftist forces attempt to create democratic government

1965 – U.S. occupies DR a 2nd timeFirst wave of Dominican diaspora as U.S. eases immigration restrictions

1966 – Joaquin Belaguer becomes presidentHad been one of Trujillo’s chief ministers/advisers

1966-1978 – 2nd wave of Dominican immigration to U.S. due to high unemployment and political repression

1980s – underemployment and inflation continues to fuel immigration

2009 – 1.36 million people of Dominican descent in U.S.

noun: the movement,

migration, and scattering of people from their homeland

Reading Schedule

By 4/2, chs 1-2, pgs 1-75

By 4/4, ch 3, pgs77-165

By 4/11, chs 4-5, pgs167-261

By 4/13, chs 6-end, pgs 263-end

For your reference:

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