JUAN PABLO DUARTE

Juan Pablo Duarte was born in Santo Domingo in the barrio Santa Barbara on the street Isabel la Catolica (his modest home is now a museum - more information on the Duarte museum) January 26, 1813. He is the son of Juan José Duarte, a Spanish retailer born in Spain, and Manuela Diez y Jiménez, a native of the El Ceibo region of Dominican Republic.

His family left Dominican Republic in 1801 when the Haitian troops, Toussaint L'Ouverture, took possession of the city. They fled to Puerto Rico, residing there until the Spanish regained control of part the country in the War of Reconquista in
1809.

Duarte excelled in his school work and was taught by one of the best professors of the University of Santo Domingo,: Doctor Juan Vicente Troncoso. Here he studied philosophy and Roman Rights. He was an excellent student and loved to study so much so that his family decided for him to excel they needed to take him to New York. It is not known how long he spent in New York but it is thought to be some time because of his mastery of languages. Then he was on to London and Paris and finally to Barcelona Spain where he had relatives. During his time abroad not much is known of his history.

In 1831 or 32 he returned to Santo Domingo and he worked in his fathers business. Juan Pablo, having such an outgoing personality, had a great social life and was soon became a well known personality and attended all the important functions of the time. He was also very patriotic and he strongly disliked the presence of Haitians in the country. Duarte was very patriotic and began organizing the historical movement as not to accept Haitian domination. His philosophy is between "Dominican and the Haitians a fusion is not possible". This impossibility did not come from racial differences but the cultural ways that the Dominican society was based on at that time, He based his ideas on the political doctrines of the time that he learned in Spain, romanticism, liberalism, the nationalism and the idealist socialism.

Duarte helped to organize a secret society, "La Trinitaria" on July 16, 1838, among whose first members were Juan Pablo Duarte, Juan Isidro Perez, Pedro Alexander Pina, Maria Ruiz, Jose Maria Serra, Benito González, Felipe Alfau and Juan Nepomuceno Ravelo, for which he took the responsibility to direct. This was the reformist movement in the city of Santo Domingo. The fighters for independence whose motto was "God, Mother Country and Freedom" ("Dios, Patria y Libertad").

When the revolution against Jean-Pierre Boyer, the Haitian president, who controlled the Eastern part of the island, began in 1843 and failed. Duarte and his companions were jailed and then had to go into hiding and finally were forced to leave the country. During these times it is thought that this is when the constitution of the Dominican Republic was penned by Duarte. The Manifiesto de Independencia was later refined by other members of the Trinitarios including Francisco del Rosario Sánchez, Ramón Matías Mella, Tomás Bobadilla

Again the following year on 27 February 1844, another attempt was made to take over the country from Haitian rule. This time it was successful. The country declared its independence again and took the name República Dominicana (Dominican Republic). A constitution modeled on that of the United States was put forth in November 1844. Dominicans celebrate February 27 as their independence day. Word was sent to Duarte, who was then staying in Venezuela to return to Santo Domingo to take part in the beginning of the government of the new republic.

On June 12, 1844 he was nominated by the Liberal party in Cibao to become president. His opponent, military director General Pedro Santana (who served for three terms between 1844 and 1861), was appointed to the same office in Santo Domingo City by the Reactionary party. Duarte lost and was banished, remaining in exile for many years. He only returned to the island once and this was during the War of Restoration (1864) against Spain. He took part in the struggle that ended in 1865, in the reestablishment of the republic. Duarte was sent on a mission abroad, and died in Caracas Venezuela, July 15, 1876 at the age of 63.

In 1883 the board of aldermen of Santo Domingo caused a life-size portrait of Duarte to be placed in the municipal hall, and in 1884 his remains were returned to Santo Domingo amidst great public ceremonies. He is now at rest in the Tomb of the Heros / Altar de la Patria in Independencia Park
(picture of Duartes' tomb)