Cuban Independence
Where is Cuba?
Cuban Independence Timeline
1492-1514: Cuba was conquered by Spanish Forces
1791: Slave revolt in Saint-Dominaue a Fronch colony reignites rebellion in Cuba
1823: Failed Bolivarian Uprising in Cuba
1868: First War of Independence
1895: Second War of Independence
1898: Spain leaves Cuba, Spanish American War, US takes over Cuba
1902:Cuban Independence
Conquering of Cuba
Colonialism
In 1492, Christopher Columbus landed on the eastern shores of Cuba and declared it a Spanish possession. In 1511, Spanish forces conquered the entire island through genocide. By 1514, the Spanish had crushed all resistance
Cuban Slavery
Enslaved people were imported from Africa (almost 1 million in total). By the 1600s. Africans formed 50% of Cuba's population.
African Slavery
The King of Spain allocated land to Spanish colonists, and local Cubans were enslaved on farms and in mines. Many local inhabitants fled to remote places on the island to avoid enslavement, disease, and massacre. White settlers feared slave rebellions, and black Cubans made up the bulk of the military that would eventually overthrow the Spanish.
Cash Crops
Spain's main economic exploits in Cuba included:
attle Ranching
Tobacco
Sugar (by far the most important)
By 1800. the amount of sugar production in Cuba made it Spain's most profitable colony.
Factors for Independence Rebellions
Economics
Repression
Regional Independence
Spain Weakening
Ideas of Rebellion
Ideas of Liberty, Freedom, and Equality were widespread at this time during the American & French Revolutions.
The US considered annexing Cuba (some Cubans wanted this). Black slaves in Saint- Domingue (now Haiti) led a successful revolution and became the first independent country in Latin America & Caribbean. This had many economic & social repercussions in Cuba.
Haitian Revolution
Toussaint L'Ouverture led the Haitian Revolution. French refugees fled from Haiti to Cuba and continued to build plantations. Demand for slaves increased. By 1841. slaves and freed blacks made up 60% of the population, which resulted in whites fearing black rebellion.
Aponte Conspiracy, 1812
Jose Antonio Aponte led a cabildo (brotherhood) on a slave revolt against Spain.
Cabildo: a brotherhood
The plans were betrayed and the revolution, although large, was crushed. Jose Antonio Aponte was hanged for leading one of the largest Cuban revolts.
Bolivarian Movement, 1823
Simon Bolivar led Venezuela to independence in 1821. further prompting hemispheric calls for independence from Spain. He would go on to lead liberation novements in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. 3,000 Bolivarians from Venezuela planned to travel to Cuba and lead a liberation movement, but the plot was uncovered before it began. Spanish forces responded with brutal repression. Cuba was under martial law for the next 50 years.
Spanish Repression
Francisco Vives was sent to Cuba from Spain in 1823 to maintain Spanish rule. His goal was to uncover revolutionary conspiracies before they began.
1829 "Black Eagle" conspiracy
He believed that mulattos and freed blacks posed a threat to Spanish rule and should be expelled.
He would not implement progressive reform that the Spanish government introduced and canceled elections.
Any dissatisfaction was met with brutal force and exile.
Many intellectuals and Spanish loyalists turned against them at this time.
Economic Problems
International competition and economic problems in Spain hurt Cuban sugar exports. In the early/mid 1800s, Spain's outlawing of the slave trade hurt sugar production in Cuba (slavery still continued, but no new slaves were being brought to Cuba). Some plantation owners wanted the US to annex Cuba because slavery was legal in the US. The US outlawed slavery in 1865.
$Cuba must necessarily become American, and not fall under any other European
Cuban Caste System
Group | Description |
|---|---|
Peninsulares | Spanish-born settlers who were in charge of the colonies. Loyal to Spain and brutal leaders. |
Criollos | Cuban-born settlers of Spanish descent who were plantation owners. Resented high taxes & martial law. |
Mulattos/Mestizo | Mixed-race citizens. Seen as equal with freed blacks, wanted independence. |
Freed Blacks | 16% of the population. Wanted independence. |
Slaves | Up to 30-60% of the population, the backbone of the independence movement. |
Steps to Independence
Slave Rebellions | Spanish Repression | International Affairs | La Escalera Rebellion & The General Weyler |
|---|---|---|---|
First War of Independence, although eventual failures, both show the fervor and nationalism- only fueling more Cubans, including criollos, to join the cause for independence. | Spain was distracted by rebellion in the Philippines. responded to Cuban rebellion with harsh repression- only fueling more Cubans, including criollos, to join the cause for independence. | US forces. A fter the Maine incident also grew a sense of collective Cuban identity. |
Leadership
Gomez, Garcia & Maceo | Jose Marti |
|---|---|
Military leaders during the Cuban rebellion leading mambises. Used guerilla tactics and were vehemently opposed to US intervention in Cuba. | Exiled to New York after the First War of Independence, Marti spent 15 years gaining support and funds for the Cuban Independence Movement. He opposed US intervention and wanted a united, grassroots independence movement- not controlled by wealthy criollos. He created the Cuban Revolutionary Party which led the movement. He was killed early in the war in 1895 but is seen as the father of the revolution. |
US Involvement
1898-1902 | PLatt Amendment | Economics |
|---|---|---|
The US took control of the Cuban government and military. They oversight and intervention rights in Cuban military and economic affairs. It was reluctantly accepted by Cubans, but many felt that Cuba was a neo-colony. | This adaptation to the Cuban constitution segregated society and established economic and elections that gave pro-US parties an advantage, Cuba relied on the US for exports. Cuban & US currency was interchangeable. and US banks bailed out the Cuban government in 1922. | 60% of rural properties in Cuba were owned by Americans. The US would continue intervention in Cuba until 1923, including an occupation from 1906-9. Increasingly, when facing a crisis, the Cuban government counted on the US for support |
Cuban Challenges After Independence
Corruption | Racial Tensions | Economnics | |
|---|---|---|---|
Cuban Challenges After Independence | Election results were widely contested, and political parties used their own armed guards to ensure results. The country was deeply divided between political ideals, As a result, an insurrection Led to another US occupation., | Post |