Παρασκευή 30 Ιουλίου 2010

La Gran Tirana.

LA LUPE

Yolandita Monge "Cuando Termina un Amor"

Yolandita Monge Amor del Bueno

Los Angeles Negros y Los Galos-Historia de un amor(mano a mano)

Antony Ríos-Si un día te sientes sola-1983-(Preciosa balada)

anthony rios señora tristeza

ANTONY RIOS-SI USTED SUPIERA SEÑORA

DOMINICANO SOY

Πέμπτη 29 Ιουλίου 2010

Introducing Santo Domingo...

Introducing Santo Domingo

This is a deeply Dominican city – an obvious statement but no less true. It’s where the rhythms of the country are on superdrive, where the sounds of life – domino pieces slapped on tables, backfiring mufflers and horns from chaotic traffic, merengue and bachata blasting from corner colmados – are most intense. Santo Domingo (population 2.9 million), or ‘La Capital’ as it’s typically called, is to Dominicans what New York is to Americans, a collage of cultures and neighborhoods, or what Havana is to Cubans, a vibrant beating heart that fuels the entire country.
At the heart of the city is the Zona Colonial. And at the heart of the Zona Colonial is Parque Colón. And across from the park is one of the oldest churches in the New World. And a block from the church is one of the oldest streets in the New World. And on this street is the oldest surviving European fortress. And so on and so on. Amid the cobblestone streets reminiscent of the French Quarter in New Orleans, it would be easy to forget Santo Domingo is in the Caribbean – if it weren’t for the heat and humidity.
But this is an intensely urban city, home not only to colonial-era relics and New World firsts, but also to hot clubs packed with trendy 20-somethings; museums and cultural institutions, the best of their kind in the DR; and businesspeople taking long lunches at elegant restaurants. Santo Domingo somehow manages to embody the contradictions central to the Dominican experience: a living museum, a metropolis crossed with a seaside resort, and a business, political and media center with a laid-back casual spirit.

First arrivals

First arrivals

Before Christopher Columbus arrived, the indigenous Taínos (meaning ‘Friendly People’) lived on the island now known as Hispaniola. Taínos gave the world sweet potatoes, peanuts, guava, pineapple and tobacco – even the word ‘tobacco’ is Taíno in origin. Yet the Taínos themselves were wiped out by Spanish diseases and slavery. Of the 400, 000 Taínos that lived on Hispaniola at the time of European arrival, fewer than 1000 were still alive 30 years later. None exist today.

Independence & occupation

Two colonies grew on Hispaniola, one Spanish and the other French. Both brought thousands of African slaves to work the land. In 1804, after a 70-year struggle, the French colony gained independence. Haiti, the Taíno name for the island, was the first majority-black republic in the New World.
In 1821 colonists in Santo Domingo declared their independence from Spain. Haiti, which had long aspired to unify the island, promptly invaded its neighbor and occupied it for more than two decades. But Dominicans never accepted Haitian rule and on February 27, 1844, Juan Pablo Duarte – considered the father of the country – led a bloodless coup and reclaimed Dominican autonomy. Fearing an invasion and still feeling threatened by Haiti in 1861, the Dominican Republic once again submitted to Spanish rule. But ordinary Dominicans did not support the move and, after four years of armed resistance, succeeded in expelling Spanish troops in what is known as the War of Restoration . (Restauración is a common street name throughout the DR, and there are a number of monuments to the war, including a prominent one in Santiago.) On March 3, 1865, the Queen of Spain signed a decree annulling the annexation and withdrew her soldiers from the island.
The young country endured one disreputable caudillo (military leader) after the other. In 1916 US President Woodrow Wilson sent the marines to the Dominican Republic, ostensibly to quell a coup attempt, but they ended up occupying the country for eight years. Though imperialistic, this occupation succeeded in stabilizing the DR.

History

History

Before sugar, it was cattle ranching and the cutting and exporting of hardwoods that drove the region’s economy. But Cuban planters, fleeing war in their country, began to arrive in the southeast in the 1870s and established sugar mills with the Dominican government’s assistance (this migration also explains baseball’s popularity and importance in the region). Rail lines were built and La Romana and San Pedro de Macorís, formerly sleepy backwaters, began to prosper as busy ports almost immediately as world sugar prices soared. Hundreds of families from the interior migrated to the area in search of jobs. In 1920, after peasants were dispossessed of their land during the US occupation, many fought a guerilla war against the marines in the area around Hato Mayor and El Seibo. Until the 1960s, the economy in the southeast was still strictly driven by sugar despite fluctuations in the world market and agriculture in general. However, when the US company Gulf & Western Industries bought La Romana’s sugar mill, invested heavily in the cattle and cement industries and, perhaps most importantly, built the Casa de Campo resort, tourism became the financial engine of the southeast, and remains so to this day.

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic...

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

By: Patrick and Katrina Foster
Long, cold winters in Boston make you dream about a place like Punta Cana. Needless to say it felt pretty amazing to disembark into the 80-degree Caribbean air. From the airport, we found the "shuttle" to our hotel-- a beat-up minivan circa 1985. While we had understood that transportation was included in our Orbitz package, we lacked the vouchers requested by our driver and ended up paying $40 to get to our hotel. So if you do book a trip to Punta Cana, it is important you work out these details ahead of time.

*At the time of publication, we have not resolved the issue with Orbitz. We did make sure to secure a receipt (chicken scratch in spanish on the back of our printed itinerary) from our driver to aid us in this dispute.

The all-inclusive Riu Resort in Punta Cana were our accommodations for the long President's Day weekend. The property is comprised of two super swanky hotels (Palace Punta Cana and Palace Macao) and three less deluxe (Naiboa, Taino, and Bambu). We stayed at Naiboa (pictured at left), which was the least expensive of the five, and thought it was an amazing deal. At arrival we were greeted by a bright, airy and very pink lobby. The room was clean and comfortable, with it's own complimentary liquor dispenser offering undoubtedly the finest bottom shelf rum and vodka of the area. The less than deluxe features included a small size, hardish bed, and a taped up handle on the sliding door to the balcony. Guests of the Naiboa, Taino and Bambu can use each others pools and restaurants (the food is all the same), and the deluxe hotels can use any hotel's facilities.

We were apprised of these rules upon checking in, when we also received our all-inclusive certification card and instructions on making reservations for dinner. Patrick was told that "large pants" were required at dinnertime.

While reservations are required for your seated dinner hour, we found that we were essentially eating nonstop throughout the day. Little distinguished the buffet breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, but we certainly never went hungry! We also learned to make pina coladas a staple of our diet. There were plenty of bars by and even in the pool and at the beach with bartenders ready to shake the fruity, rummy concoction of your choice. Katrina preferred to sip citrus-based cocktails before noon, since that seemed more morning appropriate.

But let's get serious, the real reason we and everyone else was there was the beach, and it did not disappoint. Neither of us had ever seen water that color--or that clear. The sand was soft and made for excellent long walks on the beach. And the constant off-shore breeze helped keep us cool in the blistering sun. We were delighted to find that the all-inclusiveness extended to water sports as well. We spent a gorgeous morning kayaking on the open water of the Atlantic and another afternoon playing water polo.
What was amazing about the resort was its mix of appeals. There were college-age spring breakers partying by the pool, retirees laying on the beach, and families making sandcastles and playing in the waves. The Riu Resorts are a European chain so there were lots of French, Spanish and German visitors, and not many Americans.

To help the intermingling of this diverse clientele, there is a staff "Animation Team". By day they are in charge of leading water aerobics, dance lessons and other such acitivities. They always pick up quite a following of new friends. But at night is when they really shine--we start with a rowdy game of Bingo followed by varying entertainment. One night there was a Mr. Naiboa beauty pageant, another was karaoke. Whatever that night's show, we could count on the Animation Team's signature dance routine and our emcee's ridiculous antics. While our active participation was limited to Katrina winning a Tshirt in Bingo, we had alot of fun watching German renditions of British pop and middle-aged, potbellied stripteases (captured below in video).


This all-inclusive vacation was definitely a change of pace from the past independent, more adventurous traveling that is our style. There is not much opportunity for exploring, and you really don't see anything of Dominican culture. That being said, it is a beautiful beach and perfect location for a resort. We were looking for a relaxing beach getaway and we definitely found it! Highly recommended for anyone planning the same.

Τρίτη 27 Ιουλίου 2010

a reir con Miguel y Raymond 3 sabado 22 nov 2008

La Opcion de las 12 : El Fiador y los Cobradores (1998)

Cuando pise tierra dominicana

Mi tierra

Fernandito Villalona - El Mayimbe "Tabaco y Ron"

Learn to Dance Merengue

Sónia Araújo - Samba

Luciana Abreu - Disco

Dança Comigo: Sónia Araújo (Merengue)

Suavemente Elvis Crespo Merengue

Κυριακή 18 Ιουλίου 2010

Cúmbia Santo Domingo - Girl dancing Cúmbia

Dominican Republic - Cosmopolitan Bikini Bash - Record Attempt In Santo ...

mi cama huele a ti tito "el banbino" y zion y lenox

DY EN REPUBLICA DOMINICANA

culiquitaca

Las Chicas del Can - Miss Venezuela

La Loba - Mirian Cruz

las chicas del can

Presentacion Las Nuevas Chicas Del Can Eclipse dance club

Yo Naci en Santo Domingo

Nueva York Santo Domingo

Tuberculo Gurmet - Miguel y Raymond

Reymon Pozo trata de Salvar el Casandra 2009

Salsa & Merengue 1-2-3

Learn to Dance Merengue

Τρίτη 13 Ιουλίου 2010

Largest cities of the Dominican Republic by population[

Largest cities of the Dominican Republic by population[72]
Rank City Name Province Pop. Rank City Name Province Pop.
Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo

Santiago de 
los Caballeros
Santiago La Romana
La Romana
1 Santo Domingo Distrito Nacional 2,987,013 12 Los Alcarrizos Santo Domingo 199,611
2 Santiago de los Caballeros Santiago 1,329,091 13 Higüey La Altagracia 141,751
3 Santo Domingo Oeste Santo Domingo 701,847 14 Moca Espaillat 131,733
4 Santo Domingo Este Santo Domingo 624,704 15 San Juan de la Maguana San Juan 129,224
5 Santo Domingo Norte Santo Domingo 286,912 16 Bonao Monseñor Nouel 115,743
6 Puerto Plata Puerto Plata 277,981 17 Baní Peravia 107,926
7 La Romana La Romana 268,987 18 Boca Chica Santo Domingo 99,508
8 San Cristóbal San Cristóbal 220,767 19 Azua Azua 87,024
9 La Vega La Vega 220,279 20 Mao Valverde 81,845
10 San Pedro de Macorís San Pedro de Macorís 217,141 21 Barahona Barahona 79,460
11 San Francisco de Macorís Duarte 198,068 22 Cotuí Sánchez Ramírez 78,149

Ethnicity

Government and politics

Government and politics

National Palace in Santo Domingo
The Dominican Republic is a representative democracy or democratic republic,[1][2][14] with three branches of power: executive, legislative, and judicial. The President of the Dominican Republic heads the executive branch and executes laws passed by the Congress, appoints the Cabinet, and is commander in chief of the armed forces. The president and vice-president run for office on the same ticket and are elected by direct vote for 4-year terms. The national legislature is bicameral, composed of a Senate, which has 32 members, and the Chamber of Deputies, with 178 members.[14] Judicial authority rests with the Supreme Court of Justice's 16-members. They are appointed by a council composed of the President, the leaders of both houses of Congress, the President of the Supreme Court, and an opposition or non–governing-party member. The Court "alone hears actions against the president, designated members of his Cabinet, and members of Congress when the legislature is in session."[14]
The president appoints the governors of the thirty-one provinces. Mayors and municipal councils administer the 124 municipal districts and the National District (Santo Domingo). They are elected at the same time as congressional representatives.[14]
The Dominican Republic has a multi-party political system. Elections are held every two years, alternating between the Presidential elections, which are held in years evenly divisible by four, and the Congressional and municipal elections, which are held in even-numbered years not divisible by four. "International observers have found that presidential and congressional elections since 1996 have been generally free and fair."[14] The Central Elections Board (JCE) of 9 members supervises elections, and its decisions are unappealable.[14]
There are many political parties and advocacy groups and, new on the scene, civil organizations. The three major parties are the conservative Social Christian Reformist Party (Spanish: Partido Reformista Social Cristiano [PRSC]), in power 1966–78 and 1986–96; the social democratic Dominican Revolutionary Party (Spanish: Partido Revolucionario Dominicano [PRD]), in power in 1963, 1978–86, and 2000–04); and the originally leftist, increasingly conservative Dominican Liberation Party (Spanish: Partido de la Liberación Dominicana [PLD]), in power 1996–2000 and since 2004.
The presidential elections of 2008 were held on May 16, 2008, with incumbent Leonel Fernández winning with 53% of the vote.[53] He defeated Miguel Vargas Maldonado, of the PRD, who achieved a 40.48% share of the vote. Amable Aristy, of the PRSC, achieved 4.59% of the vote. Other minority candidates, which includes former Attorney General Guillermo Moreno from the Movement for Independence, Unity and Change (Movimiento Independencia, Unidad y Cambio [MIUCA]) and PRSC former presidential candidate and defector Eduardo Estrella obtained less than 1% of the vote.

Provinces and municipalities

The Dominican Republic is divided into 31 provinces. Santo Domingo, the capital, is designated Distrito Nacional (National District). The provinces are divided into municipalities (municipios; singular municipio). They are the second-level political and administrative subdivisions of the country.

The Trujillo Era

The Trujillo Era

Rafael Leónidas Trujillo ruled the Dominican Republic from 1930 to 1961.
When Vásquez attempted to win another term, opponents rebelled in February, 1930, in secret alliance with the commander of the National Army (the former National Guard), General Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina, by which the latter remained 'neutral' in face of the rebellion. Vásquez resigned. Trujillo then stood for election himself, and in May was elected president virtually unopposed, after a violent campaign against his opponents.[44]
There was considerable economic growth during Trujillo's long and iron-fisted regime, although a great deal of the wealth was taken by the dictator and other regime elements. There was progress in healthcare, education, and transportation, with the building of hospitals and clinics, schools, and roads and harbors. Trujillo also carried out an important housing construction program and instituted a pension plan. He finally negotiated an undisputed border with Haiti in 1935, and achieved the end of the 50-year customs agreement in 1941, instead of 1956. He made the country debt-free in 1947,[17] a proud achievement for Dominicans for decades to come.
This was accompanied by absolute repression and the copious use of murder, torture, and terrorist methods against the opposition. Moreover, Trujillo's megalomania was on display in his renaming after himself the capital city Santo Domingo to "Ciudad Trujillo" (Trujillo City),[17] the nation's—and the Caribbean's—highest mountain Pico Duarte (Duarte Peak) to "Pico Trujillo", and many towns and a province. Some other places he renamed after members of his family. By the end of his first term in 1934 he was the country's wealthiest person,[33]:p360 one of the wealthiest in the world by the early 1950s,[45] and near the end of his regime his fortune was an estimated $800 million.[41]:p111
In 1937 Trujillo (who was himself one-quarter Haitian),[46] in an event known as the Parsley Massacre or, in the Dominican Republic, as El Corte (The Cutting),[47] ordered the Army to kill Haitians living on the Dominican side of the border. The Army killed an estimated 17,000 to 35,000 Haitians over six days, from the night of October 2, 1937 through October 8, 1937. To avoid leaving evidence of the Army's involvement, the soldiers used machetes rather than bullets.[31][46][48] The soldiers of Trujillo were said to have interrogated anyone with dark skin, using the shibboleth perejil (parsley) to tell Haitians from Dominicans when necessary; the 'r' of perejil was of difficult pronunciation for Haitians.[47] As a result of the massacre, the Dominican Republic agreed to pay Haiti US$750,000, later reduced to US$525,000.[34][44]
On November 25, 1960 Trujillo killed three of the four Mirabal sisters, nicknamed Las Mariposas (The Butterflies). The victims were Patria Mercedes Mirabal (born on February 27, 1924), Argentina Minerva Mirabal (born on March 12, 1926), and Antonia María Teresa Mirabal (born on October 15, 1935). Minerva was an aspiring lawyer who was extremely opposed to Trujillo's dictatorship since Trujillo had begun to make rude sexual advances towards her. The sisters have received many honors posthumously, and have many memorials in various cities in the Dominican Republic. Salcedo, their home province, changed its name to Hermanas Mirabal Province (Mirabal Sisters Province). The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is observed on the anniversary of their deaths.
For a long time, the US supported the Trujillo government, as did the Catholic Church and the Dominican elite. This support persisted despite the assassinations of political opposition, the massacre of Haitians, and Trujillo's plots against other countries. The US believed Trujillo was the lesser of two or more evils.[47] The U.S. finally broke with Trujillo in 1960, after Trujillo's agents attempted to assassinate the Venezuelan president, Rómulo Betancourt, a fierce critic of Trujillo.[44][49] Trujillo was assassinated on May 30, 1961.[44]

Post-Trujillo

A democratically elected government under leftist Juan Bosch took office in February, 1963, but was overthrown in September. After nineteen months of military rule, a pro-Bosch revolt broke out in April, 1965. U.S. president Lyndon Johnson, concerned over the possible takeover of the revolt by communists who might create a "second Cuba", sent the Marines days later, followed immediately by the Army's 82d Airborne Division and other elements of the XVIIIth Airborne Corps in Operation Powerpack. "We don't propose to sit here in a rocking chair with our hands folded and let the Communist set up any government in the western hemisphere", Johnson said.[50] The forces were soon joined by comparatively small contingents from the Organization of American States. All these remained in the country for over a year and left after supervising elections in 1966 won by Joaquín Balaguer, who had been Trujillo's last puppet-president.[17][51]
Balaguer remained in power as president for 12 years. His tenure was a period of repression of human rights and civil liberties, ostensibly to keep pro-Castro or pro-communist parties out of power. His rule was further criticized for a growing disparity between rich and poor. It was, however, praised for an ambitious infrastructure program, which included large housing projects, sports complexes, theaters, museums, aqueducts, roads, highways, and the massive Columbus Lighthouse, completed in a subsequent tenure in 1992.

1978 to present

In 1978, Balaguer was succeeded in the presidency by opposition candidate Antonio Guzmán Fernández, of the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD). Another PRD win in 1982 followed, under Salvador Jorge Blanco. Under the PRD presidents, the Dominican Republic experienced a period of relative freedom and basic human rights. Balaguer regained the presidency in 1986, and was re-elected in 1990 and 1994, this last time just defeating PRD candidate José Francisco Peña Gómez, a former mayor of Santo Domingo. The 1994 elections were flawed, bringing on international pressure, to which Balaguer responded by scheduling another presidential contest in 1996.[1] This time Leonel Fernández achieved the first-ever win for the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), which Bosch founded in 1973 after leaving the PRD (also founded by Bosch). Fernández oversaw a fast-growing economy, averaging 7.7% per year, with a drop in unemployment and stable exchange and inflation rates.[52]
In 2000 the PRD's Hipólito Mejía won the election. This was a time of economic troubles,[52] and Mejía was defeated in his re-election effort four years later by Fernández, who won re-election in 2008.[14] Fernández and the PLD are credited with initiatives that have moved the country forward technologically, such as the construction of the Metro Railway ("El Metro"). On the other hand, his administrations have also been accused of corruption.[52]

The voluntary colony and the Restoration republic

The voluntary colony and the Restoration republic

General Gregorio Luperón, Restoration hero and later President of the Republic
In 1861, after imprisoning, silencing, exiling, and executing many of his opponents and due to political and economic reasons, Santana signed a pact with the Spanish Crown and reverted the Dominican nation to colonial status, the only Latin American country to do so. His ostensible aim was to protect the nation from another Haitian annexation.[34] But opponents launched the War of the Restoration in 1863, led by Santiago Rodríguez, Benito Monción, and Gregorio Luperón, among others. Haiti, fearful of the re-establishment of Spain as colonial power on its border, gave refuge and supplies to the revolutionaries.[34] The United States, then fighting its own Civil War, vigorously protested the Spanish action. After two years of fighting, Spain abandoned the island in 1865.[34]
Political strife again prevailed in the following years; warlords ruled, military revolts were extremely common, and the nation amassed debt. It was now Báez's turn to act on his plan of annexing the country to the United States, where two successive presidents were supportive.[17][31][35] U.S. President Grant desired a naval base at Samaná and also a place for resettling newly freed Blacks.[36] The treaty, which included U.S. payment of $1.5 million for Dominican debt repayment, was defeated in the United States Senate in 1870[31] on a vote of 28–28, two-thirds being required.[37][38]
Ulises 'Lilís' Heureaux, President of the Republic 1882–84, 1886–99
Báez was toppled in 1874, returned, and was toppled for good in 1878. A new generation was thence in charge, with the passing of Santana (he died in 1864) and Báez from the scene. Relative peace came to the country in the 1880s, which saw the coming to power of General Ulises Heureaux.[39]
"Lilís", as the new president was nicknamed, enjoyed a period of popularity. He was, however, "a consummate dissembler", who put the nation deep into debt while using much of the proceeds for his personal use and to maintain his police state. Heureaux became rampantly despotic and unpopular.[39][40] In 1899 he was assassinated. However, the relative calm over which he presided allowed improvement in the Dominican economy. The sugar industry was modernized,[41]:p10 and the country attracted foreign workers and immigrants, both from the Old World and the New.
From 1902 on, short-lived governments were again the norm, with their power usurped by caudillos in parts of the country. Furthermore, the national government was bankrupt and, unable to pay Heureaux's debts, faced the threat of military intervention by France and other European creditor powers.[42]

U.S. interventions and occupation

U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt sought to prevent European intervention, largely to protect the routes to the future Panama Canal, as the canal was already under construction. He made a small military intervention to ward off the European powers, proclaimed his famous Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, and in 1905 obtained Dominican agreement for U.S. administration of Dominican customs, then the chief source of income for the Dominican government. A 1906 agreement provided for the arrangement to last 50 years. The United States agreed to use part of the customs proceeds to reduce the immense foreign debt of the Dominican Republic, and assumed responsibility for said debt.[17][42]
After six years in power, President Ramón Cáceres (who had himself assassinated Heureaux)[39] was assassinated in 1911. The result was several years of great political instability and civil war. U.S. mediation by the William Howard Taft and Woodrow Wilson administrations achieved only a short respite each time. A political deadlock in 1914 was broken after an ultimatum by Wilson telling Dominicans to choose a president or see the U.S. impose one. A provisional president was chosen, and later the same year relatively free elections put former president (1899–1902) Juan Isidro Jimenes Pereyra back in power. In order to achieve a more broadly supported government, Jimenes named opposition individuals to his Cabinet. But this brought no peace and, with his former Secretary of War Desiderio Arias maneuvering to depose him and despite a U.S. offer of military aid against Arias, Jimenes resigned on May 7, 1916.[43]
The 1916 occupation by U.S. Marines
Wilson thus ordered the U.S. occupation of the Dominican Republic. U.S. Marines landed on May 16, 1916, and had control of the country two months later. The military government established by the U.S., led by Rear Admiral Harry Shepard Knapp, was widely repudiated by Dominicans. Some Cabinet posts had to be filled by U.S. naval officers, as Dominicans refused to serve in the administration. Censorship and limits on public speech were imposed. The guerrilla war against the U.S. forces was met with a vigorous, "often brutal" response.[43]
But the occupation regime, which kept most Dominican laws and institutions, largely pacified the country, revived the economy, reduced the Dominican debt, built a road network that at last interconnected all regions of the country, and created a professional National Guard to replace the warring partisan units.[43]
Opposition to the occupation continued, however, and after World War I it increased in the U.S. as well. There, President Warren G. Harding (1921–23), Wilson's successor, worked to end the occupation, as he had promised to do during his campaign. U.S. government ended in October 1922, and elections were held in March 1924.[43]
The victor was former president (1902–03) Horacio Vásquez Lajara, who had cooperated with the U.S. He was inaugurated on July 13, and the last U.S. forces left in September. Vásquez gave the country six years of good government, in which political and civil rights were respected and the economy grew strongly, in a peaceful atmosphere.[43][44]

 

The Ephemeral Independence and Haitian occupation

The Ephemeral Independence and Haitian occupation

Juan Pablo Duarte is widely considered the architect of the Dominican Republic and its independence from Haitian rule in 1844.
After a dozen years of discontent and failed independence plots by various groups, Santo Domingo's former Lieutenant–Governor (top administrator), José Núñez de Cáceres, declared the colony's independence, on November 30, 1821. He requested the new state's admission to Simón Bolívar's republic of Gran Colombia, but Haitian forces, led by Jean-Pierre Boyer, invaded just nine weeks later, in February 1822.[31]
As Toussaint Louverture had done two decades earlier, the Haitians abolished slavery. But they also nationalized most private property, including all the property of landowners who had left in the wake of the invasion; much Church property; as well as all property belonging to the former rulers, the Spanish Crown. Boyer also placed more emphasis on cash crops grown on large plantations, reformed the tax system, and allowed foreign trade. But the new system was widely opposed by Dominican farmers, although it produced a boom in sugar and coffee production. All levels of education collapsed; the university was shut down, as it was starved both of resources and students, since young Dominican men from 16 to 25-years-old were drafted into the Haitian army. Boyer's occupation troops, who were largely Dominicans, were unpaid, and had to "forage and sack" from Dominican civilians. Haiti imposed a "heavy tribute" on the Dominican people.[32]:page number needed Many whites fled Santo Domingo for Puerto Rico and Cuba (both still under Spanish rule), Venezuela, and elsewhere. In the end the economy faltered and taxation became more onerous. Rebellions occurred even by Dominican freedmen, while Dominicans and Haitians worked together to oust Boyer from power. Anti-Haitian movements of several kinds — pro-independence, pro-Spanish, pro-French, pro-British, pro-United States — gathered force following the overthrow of Boyer in 1843.[32]:page number needed

Independence

Flag of the Trinitaria from 1844 to 1849
In 1838 Juan Pablo Duarte founded a secret society called La Trinitaria, which sought the complete independence of Santo Domingo without any foreign intervention.[33]:p147–149 Ramón Matías Mella and Francisco del Rosario Sánchez, despite not being among the founding members of La Trinitaria, were decisive in the fight for independence. Duarte and they are the three Founding Fathers of the Dominican Republic.[citation needed] On February 27, 1844, the Trinitarios (Trinitarians), declared the independence from Haiti. They were backed by Pedro Santana, a wealthy cattle rancher from El Seibo, who became general of the army of the nascent Republic. The Dominican Republic's first Constitution was adopted on November 6, 1844, and was modeled after the United States Constitution.[17]
The decades that followed were filled with tyranny, factionalism, economic difficulties, rapid changes of government, and exile for political opponents. Threatening the nation's independence were renewed Haitian invasions occurring in 1844, 1845–49, 1849–55, and 1855–56.[32]:page number needed
Meanwhile, archrivals Santana and Buenaventura Báez held power most of the time, both ruling arbitrarily. They promoted competing plans to annex the new nation to another power: Santana favored Spain, and Báez the United States.