The Conflict Between Haiti and the Dominican Republic:

BIGBOY21

New member
Sep 15, 2010
117
20
0
Whites. In fact the two countries merely coexist on this small island -- conflict arises almost everyday between the two governments. These cultural differences may be at the root of the long-standing Haitian-Dominican conflict culminating in the murder of more than 25,000 Haitians in1937 by the Dominican dictator, Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molinas.
What is the explanation for these cultural differences? How did the island the Tainos called Hayti come to be divided into two countries, and inhabited by two peoples of such different cultures? A look at the colonial past of Haiti and the Dominican Republic contains the answer to these questions. Both countries have a colonial background that has made them into what they are today. The division of the island into Haiti and the Dominican Republic is a perfect example of how colonialism and the plantation system shaped the geography, demography and psychology of the New World; shaping it in ways that eventually led to perpetual friction, including the Haitian-Dominican conflict of today.
The present day division of the island of Hispaniola is a consequence of the bitter European struggle for control of the New World during the 17th century. When Christopher Columbus "discovered" the New World in 1492, he named the island of Hayti where his crew disembarked Hispaniola ? Little Spain. The Spaniards soon established themselves permanently on Hispaniola, building the city of Santo Domingo, from whence they ruled their colonies in the New World. By 1548 however, the Indians were decimated and the reserves of gold in the colony were declining. At about the same time, Hernan Cortes was discovering Mexico (1521) and Pizarro was overrunning Peru, both of which were rich in gold and silver. Santo Domingo then became of less value to Spain and most Spanish settlers quickly left the island for the richer lands of Mexico and Peru.
Then the first French settlers came to Hispaniola and established themselves on the island of Tortuga ( Ile de la Tortue) on the northwest coast of present day Haiti. These French settlers, known as buccaneers entered into trade with the Spaniards on the mainland. Then, in what Miguel Aquino has called a "tactical error of unimaginable proportions", the Spanish governor of Hispaniola, in1605 encouraged the Spanish inhabitants of the western part of the island to move to the eastern portion, in order to end the trade with the French. Contrary to what the Spaniard governor expected, over the next fifty years the French pirates settled in western Hispaniola establishing the impromptu French colony of St. Domingue, a translation of Santo Domingo. These French settlers entered into a bitter struggle with the Spaniards for more land.
By 1664, France created the French West Indian Company to signal their intention of permanently colonizing St. Domingue. During that time, Spain was in decline as a world power and could barely withstand the English, Dutch and French attacks on its colonies in the Caribbean. Therefore, by the treaty of Ryswick in 1697, Spain abandoned the western part of Hispaniola to the French, who then established the colony of St Domingue legally. The two rival colonies, Santo Domingo under the Spanish and St. Domingue under the French, followed different paths that would greatly effect their future.
About a hundred years later, Spain ceded the eastern part of the island to France under the treaty of Basle (1795). Toussaint L?Ouverture, the later author of the Haitian Revolution, was at that time fighting for the French, helping to unify the island under French rule. Thus in 1795 he declared that the island was "one and indivisible". In 1801, after taking control of St. Domingue in the Haitian Revolution, Toussaint invaded Santo Domingo to transform his words into action. In 1802, while battling the forces of Napoleon for the independence of Haiti, Toussaint, as part of his strategic plan, withdrew his soldiers from Santo Domingo. After the capture of Toussaint by the French General Leclerc, Toussaint?s successor Dessalines carried on the revolution and defeated the French, creating the State of Haiti.
From the very day that Haiti became independent, January 1, 1804, its leaders believed that in order for Haiti to remain independent the entire island must be unified under Haitian rule. The French retained a small foothold on the eastern section of the island and the Haitians feared that the French, or another European colonial nation, might invade from there. Henceforth Haiti?s policy toward Santo Domingo would be directed by this belief. The Haitian leadership wrote a clause into the first Haitian constitution that the island was indivisible. By 1805, Dessalines invaded the eastern part of the island and only pulled his forces back from capturing Santo Domingo when reports reached him that a French naval squadron was approaching Haiti.
By 1808, the Haitians, in their ongoing struggle against the French, helped Spanish colonists who had returned to Santo Domingo to expel the French. Santo Domingo was then returned to Spanish rule. Under the Spanish the colony plunged into economic decline. This period, known as EspaZa Boba ( Foolish Spain), convinced the Dominicans to seek independence along the same lines as Simon Bolivar?s Latin American state. On November 30, 1821, Jose Nunez de Caceres announced the colony?s independence under the name of Spanish Haiti, and sought to gain admission to the State of Gran Colombia created by Simon Bolivar. However, before the Dominican request could be ratified, the troops of the Haitian president, Jean Pierre Boyer, invaded the new nation, unifying the island.
From 1822 to 1844, the Dominican Republic and Haiti were united. In 1844, the Dominicans took advantage of the fall of President Boyer of Haiti, and regained their independence. The rebellion was carried out by the Trinitaria movement, founded by Juan Pablo Duarte in 1838. The Haitians repeatedly tried to invade the new nation; their last attempt only ended in 1855. A boundary agreement was finally signed between the two nations in 1936, establishing the definitive border between the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The final consequence of the European struggle for control in the Caribbean was the division of the island into two countries.
The division of the island into the two colonies of St. Domingue and Santo Domingo resulted in the creation of two distinct peoples. After the signing of the treaty of Ryswick (1697) between France and Spain, the two colonies on Hispaniola followed different economic paths. This would influence the development of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The French quickly developed St. Domingue into the most productive colony of the Hemisphere, if not the world. By the 18th century, St. Domingue?s production of sugar surpassed that of all the English colonies. This growth in production made St. Domingue economically important to France. To bring St. Domingue to this level of production, the French early on took a number of measures. The colonists on St. Domingue foresaw a growing world market for sugar, so they tried to maximize their profits by importing huge numbers of African slaves. By 1790, the Black population surpassed the Whites and a new demographic group was created: the mulattos. St. Domingue at that time had more than 500,000 Black slaves, compared to 30,000 Whites and 27,000 freemen, this last class of men containing both Black and mulatto individuals.
In Santo Domingo the Spanish colonists did nothing to develop sugar plantations. They were not motivated by the goal of supplying sugar to the European market like the French were. Since they were not as wealthy as their French counterparts, and less concerned with market pressures, these landowners did not import slaves in large numbers. This policy enabled the domestic labor force to practice subsistence agriculture as well as sugar cultivation. Thus by 1790, when St. Domingue was in the midst of a population explosion, Santo Domingo consisted of 125,000 White landowners, 25,000 Blacks or mulattos, and about 60,000 Black slaves. Clearly, on Santo Domingo, the Blacks were a minority. This was the demographic basis for the present composition of the population of Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
When the Haitian Revolution broke out in 1791, thousands of Whites fled the colony both during and after the revolt to escape the wrath of their slaves. Those few remaining were massacred by Dessalines in 1805 to protect the revolution. As a consequence, Haiti was a nation with a large Black majority and a relatively small number of mulattos. In Santo Domingo, the contrary was true. Racial intermarriage between the Spaniards and the Blacks created mulattos who are today the majority. In 1822-1844, Boyer, the Haitian president, tried to influence the population composition of Santo Domingo. He encouraged 10,000 free Blacks from the U.S.A. to settle there. However, this policy failed since the majority of these Blacks quickly left the island. The remaining few had virtually no impact on creating a population similar to that of Haiti as Boyer probably wanted. This difference in racial makeup helped amplify and worsen Dominican-Haitian rivalry.
A third consequence of the treaty of Ryswick (1697) was to shape the mind-set of Haitians and Dominicans, causing them to view each other as irreconcilable enemies. Today, to be a Dominican is above all else not to be a Haitian. The Dominican definition of their identity as a people was based upon this. Schools and newspapers spread propaganda with the goal of dismissing the African heritage of the Dominican Republic and to distinguish between Dominicans and Haitians. The Dominican people are described as a White people of Hispanic descent. Trujillo, in the Dominican Republic, celebrated the concept of la Hispanidad (Spanishness). However, when a person?s skin left no doubt as to their Black heritage, a concept of "Indianness" was quickly created to explain that Dominican?s complexion. Thus, a Dominican whose skin color is midway between a mulatto and a Black is identified as being of Indian origin. Countless dubious studies were conducted to prove this "Indianness" of the Dominican people through analysis of blood types, facial features and varying dental patterns. Of course, the definition of the Dominicans? identity as Indian is highly doubtful since the first inhabitants of the island were decimated in less than 50 years by the Spanish (see Tainos in History Page). This obsession by the Dominicans to define themselves as something as not Haitian and African, stems from relationship with Haiti, going back to the colonial era.
When Haiti freed herself from French control in 1804, she quickly undertook to protect her freedom by overrunning the island?s eastern parts, Santo Domingo. The Haitians saw the island as indivisible. Eventually the Haitians occupied the Dominican Republic for twenty-two years. Jean Pierre Boyer, the Haitian president, sought to secure his control of the Dominican Republic by the destruction of its Hispanic culture. He closed the university and prevented contact between the Dominican Church and the Catholic hierarchy in Europe. He broke up the large estates of the Dominican nation held by the Church. These policies increased anti-Haitian sentiment in the Dominican Republic.
When Trujillo was elected president he defined the Dominican Republic as a Hispanic nation, Catholic and White, as opposed to Afro-French Haiti which largely practiced "vodou" as a religion. He portrayed Haiti as both a threat and the antithesis of the Dominican Republic. He dreaded the growing influence of Haitian culture in Dominican territory. His fear of Haitian "darkening" of the Dominican population led him to conduct a policy of "Dominicanness" which ultimately led to the murder of more than 25,000 Haitian on the Haitian-Dominican border. After having signed a boundary agreement between the Dominican government and Haiti, Trujillo realizing that the people on the border, Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent, spoke mainly creole and used the Haitian gourde as their currency. He undertook to define Haitians as racially separate from Dominicans. Under Operation Perejil, Trujillo killed thousands of Haitians and dark skinned Dominicans residing on the border zone. These people were asked to pronounce the word "perejil", believed to be hard for Haitians because of the "r" and the "j". Everyone who failed at the test was systematically killed.
Years later, the Dominican president and Trujillo?s ideological heir, Joaquim Balaguer, continued his policy of discrimination and racism against the Haitians. In his book, La Isla al Reves, he outlined his hopes and fears for the Dominican nation. This book is a monument to the fear that Haiti, as an Afro-Caribbean nation, instilled both in the author and the Dominican people. It warns of Haitian imperialism as a "plot against the independence of Santo Domingo and against the American population of Spanish origin". Haiti is a threat primarily for "biological reasons", its people multiplying themselves "nearly as rapidly as plants."
Although we must acknowledge that the Haitian-Dominican conflict stemmed from the occupation of the Dominican Republic by Haiti, it would be dangerous, and unfair to the Dominican people, to attribute Trujillo and Balaguer?s acts and ideology entirely to the same origin. Balaguer and Trujillo were both racist mulattos and politicians who used the past for their own interest. The Dominican people did not participate in Trujillo?s massacre of the Haitians.
Many Haitians were saved by good-hearted Dominicans who could not imagine and could not accept the killings of thousands of innocents for petty reasons. The best example of this fact is the Dominican politician, Jose Maria PeZa Gomez, who is believed to be of Haitian descent, and who escaped the massacre because a White Dominican family adopted him. He grew up to become Balaguer?s most feared opponent in the Dominican elections. Despite his color (a proof that color is not a real obstacle in the Caribbean) he was very popular among Dominican voters. To fight him Ballaguer had to cheat in the elections of 1991, and spread propaganda about his Haitian origin. The old Haitian-Dominican conflict was thus used by Dominican politicians to keep themselves in power; depicting the twenty two years of Haitian rule as a period of repression and savagery.
 

BIGBOY21

New member
Sep 15, 2010
117
20
0
Further more.

According to Juan Bosch this mythology was forged by traditional Dominican historians who deliberately "have falsified the historical truth". Bosch contends that the majority of the Dominican population welcomed the Haitians. For the slaves, it meant emancipation; for other Blacks it promised a break from the racist hierarchy of Spanish colonialism. Haiti at that time had a more developed economy than Santo Domingo. Union, it was believed, would improve economic conditions for the poor. Radical land reforms did indeed benefit the poorest section of the population. These reforms broke up many of the largest estates and Church-owned lands, which were then distributed to the small holders. This provided a basis for the economic independence of the Dominican peasantry.
 

BIGBOY21

New member
Sep 15, 2010
117
20
0
There is no point, just some historical facts, lot of people don?t understand the relationship between Haiti and the DR.
 

Chip

Platinum
Jul 25, 2007
16,772
429
0
Santiago
There is no point, just some historical facts, lot of people don’t understand the relationship between Haiti and the DR.

Some people like to omit important parts, like the Haitian occupation of the DR and the massacres of Dominicans by Haitian troops. Get your facts straight dude, the Haitians hardly were a benevolent occupier that's for sure. And Dominicans still celebrate their independence everyday in schools by singling the national anthem. Maybe it's time to bury the hatchet but it doesn't help when the majority of those who look at the Dom-Haitian relationship for on the Trujillo era and later.
 

BIGBOY21

New member
Sep 15, 2010
117
20
0
?Nowhere did I say the Haitians were benevolent nor did i say Dominicans don’t celebrate their independence, where did you even get that from?
 

Miacol

New member
Apr 22, 2010
19
12
0
Correct your facts

1. The Island was called Kiskeya "Which we say Quisqueya".
2. Ayiti "Haiti" was simply the mountaines terrain to the western side of the Island not the whole Island.
3. The term Taino means Noble or Good.
4. In 1821, DR declared it's first inpendence, but Haiti invaded with the help of the French to control the Island and Dominicans fought till 1844 against Haitian control.
5. When the Haitians began their force march to kill all Dominicans and fully control the Island the established Trinitarios rallied the Dominican people to rise up and defend their lands. The Haitian forces were defeated and at the door of El Conde the first Dominican Flag was raised and we as a people united declared our second independence.
6. Santana became the first President who declared the Trinitarios enemies of the states, he wanted to return to Spanish rule.
7. In 1856 when Sanchez was preparing to regain control of DR he was betrayed once more by Haiti, who stated they felt bad about how things ended in DR and wanted to help us establish our independence. Haiti betrayed Sanchez to Santana, trying to get him to surrender DR to Haitian rule. In 1863 we established our restoration, breaking the shackles of Spanish, Haitian, or Santana control thou declaring "Dios, Patria, y Libertad".

I can take each bullet point and expanded and I can continue the full history, but I think my points are proven, but just in case

The issue with Haiti goes further back then 1937, and Trujillo killing 25,000 Haitians doesn't even come close to how many Dominicans Haitians killed over the course of 1821 - 1863, or the fact that Haitians declared Dominicans worst then slaves, and should be treated like animals during their rule. Trujillo had become tired of the constant invasion of Haiti into Dominican Territory attempting to conquer the DR. In 1938 Trujillo declared war on Haiti, killed 25,000 Haitians and establish the current border. When questioned by US journalist about the war and the killing of so many Haitians his response was very clear "Not even half of the Chicanos that you kill on the border between the USA and Mexico."

So my question to all you Americans your so quick to rally to Haiti's defense, where was the USA when the Dominicans needed them?

Oh yes you invaded us attempting to control the island, you constantly attempted to subjected us to Haitian rule and your current President has on more then one occasion attempted to discuss merging with Haiti to help the Haitians and that we should give citizenship to those 2 million illegal Haitians on our land. Hmmmm, the answer is NO, no to merger, no to citizenship to Haitians, when the USA gives citizenship to all the illegal immigrants then come talk to us Obama. Our constitution is clear, we are not the USA, and your laws don't apply to us in our country.
 
  • Like
Reactions: AlterEgo

Miacol

New member
Apr 22, 2010
19
12
0
?Nowhere did I say the Haitians were benevolent nor did i say Dominicans don?t celebrate their independence, where did you even get that from?

Bigboy21, how you are telling the Dominican Republic history is extremely American sided.
 

BIGBOY21

New member
Sep 15, 2010
117
20
0
Just to show you how you simple little fact have been changes in your Dominican history without going into too much, the island was in fact called Quisqueya but this is just but the partial name ,the island was called by the Arawaks by the way, Ayiti Quisqueya Boyo, Land of mountains, land of rivers,land of valleys in their language, after the Haitian revolution the freed slaves gave it back part of its original name as opposed to keeping the French given name of St Domingue, as far as the Haitian mistreatment of the Dominicans this is grossly exaggerated by the Dominicans
This first independence you speak of is from Spain not Haiti, witch by the way also fought with you to help you get rid of Spanish colonial rule, just as they did with Simon Bol?var, HAITI did send 30,000 troops to south America as well as weapons and ammunitions, the house Bol?var stayed in whilst in Haiti asking for help to Alexandre Petion still exists in Jacmel.
Your facts are twisted.
 

Chip

Platinum
Jul 25, 2007
16,772
429
0
Santiago
, as far as the Haitian mistreatment of the Dominicans this is grossly exaggerated by the Dominicans

No offense is normal for you to have this opinion, after all you are Haitian. That doesn't diminish the facts though. I recommend that you read the other's (Dominican) point of view of the island's history.
 

bob saunders

Platinum
Jan 1, 2002
32,504
5,932
113
dr1.com
There is no point, just some historical facts, lot of people don?t understand the relationship between Haiti and the DR.

If you use the search function you will find several articles that have proven that there is a significant portion on the Dominican population with Taino DNA.
 
May 5, 2007
9,246
92
0
"So my question to all you Americans your so quick to rally to Haiti's defense, where was the USA when the Dominicans needed them?"

Damm, sorry to not have been able to run right down and solve your problem, but a couple of guys named Hirohito and Hitler were keeping the US and a good part of the world kind of busy for a while at the end of the 30's

Yeah, I know the USA didn't "officially" enter WWII as a combatant until 1941, but ramping up for the war was kind of time consuming and the US was not doing it's usual interventions in other countries business
 

Chirimoya

Well-known member
Dec 9, 2002
17,850
982
113
MA - consider the source.

This is the chap who a couple of days ago claimed that Haitians had massacred a whole town of Dominicans earlier this year but the whole thing was supressed in the US media and that's why we in the DR and other parts of the world never heard of it. He couldn't back it up with any sources - presumably due to the international conspiracy to preserve Haiti's image.
 

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
13,369
3,150
113
There's no conflict or tensions between the two countries right now. ;)

First to help...

The most vocal regarding the world keeping its help promise to Haiti...

Building universities in Haiti...

Allowed illegals to go to Haiti and return to the DR with no problems...

Suspended all deportations until Haiti is in a condition to absorb them...

Both presidents have met more times so far this year than I can remember at any other given year...

Even Juan Luis Guerra is going to build a school over there (yes, he doesn't represents the Dominican state, but that's quite a gesture)...

Dominican population donated more blood, food, and other charitable items in record levels to help Haiti...

A large number of Dominican companies (Estrella, Vicini, etc) donated large quantities of their products/machinery/time/resources to show solidarity with Haiti and its reconstruction phase...

So on and so forth.

Doesn't sound like much of a conflict between the two countries.
 
  • Like
Reactions: greydread

greggjunior

New member
Oct 7, 2010
2
0
0
There is no need to alter history. Haitians play a big role in Dominican history, and most dominican has haitian blood line. Even your former leaders had Haitian blood line. The vision of our forefathers failed. The goal was to unify the whole island as one Haiti. There is bad blood among us. Your President Trujillo had massacred over 300,000of haitians, and we will never forget. But rest assured Haiti will rise again. But we have to get to rid of our corrupt politicians, then we will be the pearl of the west indies.
 

bob saunders

Platinum
Jan 1, 2002
32,504
5,932
113
dr1.com
There is no need to alter history. Haitians play a big role in Dominican history, and most dominican has haitian blood line. Even your former leaders had Haitian blood line. The vision of our forefathers failed. The goal was to unify the whole island as one Haiti. There is bad blood among us. Your President Trujillo had massacred over 300,000of haitians, and we will never forget. But rest assured Haiti will rise again. But we have to get to rid of our corrupt politicians, then we will be the pearl of the west indies.

Sure, but just rise on your own side of the island.
 

bachata

Aprendiz de todo profesional de nada
Aug 18, 2007
5,341
1,246
113
?Nowhere did I say the Haitians were benevolent nor did i say Dominicans don?t celebrate their independence, where did you

even get that from?

I better don't say nothing!!! En boca cerrada no entran moscas...

JJ
 

Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
18,948
514
113
Numbers 4,5,6 & 7 are all or partially wrong....poor history there...

O do not want to go over this again..

HB