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Half of Hispaniola
The Dominican Republic and French-speaking Haiti share the island of Hispaniola, where Columbus himself began Spanish colonization of America. Like Cuba and Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic has a "Caribbean" political history, being more under the thumb of imperial powers than the rest of Latin America. The colonial division of the island into Spanish and French colonies shows European competition for Caribbean territory. Spain actually reclaimed the Dominican Republic for a few years in the 1860s. Annexation to the United States seemed a possibility for a time. In the early twentieth century, two decades of U.S. military occupation made its mark, for good (introducing the sport of baseball, for example) and for ill (giving rise to the durable dictator Rafael Trujillo). Even Haiti has invaded and dominated the Dominican Republic shortly after Haiti's independence, postponing Dominican independence until the 1840s. The troubled relationship with Haiti is a recurrent theme in Dominican life. In 1938, Dominicans conducted a government-instigated massacre of Haitians living on the Dominican side of the border between the two countries. Like Latin America as a whole, however, the Dominican Republic manages to be a place of irrepressible good spirits despite its difficult history. Two of the rhythms currently dominant in the international Latin dance scene, merengue and bachata, come from the Dominican Republic.
Topics:
Questions for Analysis and Further Reflection:
- Hispaniola is where the encounter between Europeans and indigenous Americans began. The historical record of their first meetings is limited, but nevertheless provides insight into how Europeans perceived the "Indians" and some of their ways of life. Consider selections from Columbus's diary—available in English translation—and then describe a) what biases are evident in the writing and b) the value of the selections as a primary source.
- Indigenous populations of the Caribbean were quickly decimated after the arrival of Spaniards. What led to this destruction of human lives, what consequences did it bring for the region, and how did the encounter of Spaniards with Indians differ in Mesoamerica and South America?
- What have been the motivations behind varying periods of U.S. intervention on this half of the island, and what consequences has U.S. intervention had for the country's economy and everyday life for Dominicans?
Country Bibliography: (Titles with ** are good starting places.)
Bell, Ian. The Dominican Republic. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1981.
An older book by a diplomat who spent a number of years living in the Dominican Republic. While it devotes considerable space to the colonial period and the nineteenth-century emergence of a republic separate form Haiti, most of the narrative centers on politics and economics throughout the twentieth century. Student readers will find the prose accessible. Many maps, tables, and photographs give life to the text, too.
** Moya Pons, Frank. The Dominican Republic: A National History. New Rochelle, NY:
Hispaniola Books, 1995.
This comprehensive historical survey of the Dominican Republic is geared for a nonspecialist audience. Maps, an index, and a detailed bibliography for each chapter follow the text.
** Knight, Franklin W. The Caribbean: The Genesis of a Fragmented Nationalism, 2nd ed.
New York: Oxford University Press, 1990.
Knight's regional history aims to put the national experience of each country within the larger historical context of the Caribbean. The survey begins with a comparative look at the pre-Hispanic Caribbean, shifts to colonization, slavery, and plantation society, and then on to imperial fragmentation. In the second half of the book Knight focuses on individual national cases. Maps, tables, a timeline, and a bibliographical essay on suggested readings are included.
Sagás, Ernesto, and Orlando Inoa. The Dominican People: A Documentary History.
Princeton, NJ: Markus Wiener Publishers, 2003.
For students seeking to work with primary sources in English. The editors place each document in its historical context.
** Wiarda, Howard J., and Michael J. Kryzanek. The Dominican Republic: A Caribbean
Crucible, 2nd ed. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1992.
A basic historical survey from a political-science perspective. Maps, tables, a bibliography of selected readings, and an index accompany the narrative.
Maps:
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