In 1821, the Dominican Republic had achieved its independence after centuries of being controlled by Spain. However, this was famously a brief stint in independence as Haiti had invaded the Dominican Republic within a year.
On this day, February 27th, in 1844, The Dominican Republic would regain its independence, this time from Haiti. This day has been dubbed Dominican Independence Day, and this was the Dominican War of Independence. Dominican rebels conquered a fortress in the capital, and within two days, all of the Haitian officials dispersed and left the Dominican Republic. Once again, like the prior revolution, it was a philosopher and thinker that helped the Dominican Republic gain its independence.
Juana Pablo Duarte is a political martyr for Dominicans. His ideas helped construct the new Dominican Republic government. His dream was that the Dominican Republic would become a self-sufficient nation supported by a liberal democratic government. Unfortunately, the aristocrats and conservative elites grabbed most of the control and undermined much of Duarte’s philosophy, aligning themselves instead with colonial powers.