Friday, October 10, 2008

On the 140th Anniversary of "El Grito de Yara:" Cuba's First War of Independence (1868-1878)

Today marks the 140th anniversary of the Grito de Yara, the start of Cuba's first War of Independence (1868-1878). This epic struggle claimed more lives than 30 American Revolutions but did not culminate in our independence because, then as now, our countrymen stood alone against the indifference and even hostility of the world. There was no France to provide reinforcements nor His Christian Majesty's Treasury to finance our revolution. Spain, which by then had already been ousted from all its other possessions in the New World except Cuba and Puerto Rico, clung tenaciously to the "Pearl of the Antilles," the revenues from which sustained it more than all its own exertions did. Spain was ready to sink all the gold of the Indies, acquired over 400 years, into the endeavor of retaining the last and most precious remnant of its colonial empire. The European powers, and principally Britain, sided with Spain, though they had condemned for 50 years the slave trade which Spain abetted and which the Cuban rebels ended by abolishing slavery as the first act of their revolution. Pope Pius IX, no doubt influenced by the fact that the Catholic Church was the largest landowner in Cuba, blessed Spanish troops before they sailed to subjugate Cubans and even called the war of genocide against them "a holy crusade."

Then there was the United States. The Cuban Revolution of 1868 was inspired by the ideals of the American Revolution of 1776, although the Cubans did not only proclaim in their Declaration of Independence that all men were created equal before God but before the law. Among the American people, the Cuban cause was wildly popular; for they rightly saw it as a continuation of their grandsires' own struggle. This did not, however, convince their leaders -- who had only 3 years earlier considered acquiring Cuba as a "dumping grounds" (in Lincoln's phrase) for America's recently emancipated slaves -- to extend recognition or belligerancy rights to the Cuban rebels, most of whom were men of color. Instead, the U.S. used its Neutrality Laws to thwart the rebellion while a the same time allowing its arms merchants to sell Spain all the surplus from the Civil War. The U.S. State Department even hatched a scheme that would have compelled Cubans to purchase their independence from Spain with a loan contracted from U.S. banks with the island itself as collateral. "Independence," if you will, on the installment plan.

Despite the fact that 140 years ago Cubans were fighting against not just Spain but the combined malice of all the world, they managed to extend their struggle for 10 glory-filled years, till the island was decimated from one end to the other and the enemy defeated over and over again, only to have Spain buoyed and raised up by its allies on both sides of the Atlantic.

Céspedes and Aguilera did not survive the war to return to their Mount Vernons and Monticellos; they died penniless in the struggle, having financed the revolution with their own patrimony and finally consecrated their lives to it, but our prohombres bequeathed freedom to their slaves and to all of us the example of the purest and most disinterested patriotism.

El Grito de Baire
A Brief History of the Cuban Republic (1902-1958)
The History of The Cuban Republic, Part II (1940-1952)
A "Critique" that Requires Your Attention
Are Cubans "Resentful" & "Unforgiving?" Carlos Alberto Montaner Thinks So
Babalú Praises George Will's Bigotted Attack on Cubans
A Selection of Quotations by José Martí (Translated from the Spanish)

77 comments:

  1. 140 years and our island is still enslaved, those that meddled and toyed with our liberty are still meddling today, all those who gave her blood for her must be turning in their graves.


    Viva Cuba Libre!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ya no quedan patriotas en Cuba

    Lo que hay alli es basura

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's good to be the King
    Submitted without commentary:

    In DC: Franklin Raines, the former top man at Fannie Mae, bought a three-bedroom, seven-bath penthouse condominium in the West End’s Ritz-Carlton Residences for $4.9 million. The condo has a rooftop terrace with a hot tub, a butler’s pantry, and three parking spaces. Raines, director of the US Office of Management and Budget under President Clinton, was CEO of Fannie Mae from 1999 to 2004.
    Posted by George Moneo at 02:04 PM |

    I'm sure he is a Republican now

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  4. Interesting findings Henry Gomez comments follow link.


    http://blog.psaonline.org/2008/09/01/cuba-libre-iv-a-cuban-walesa-will-do-just-fine/#comments

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  5. Hmmm, the Cuban exile's leader arrived, and not a word from you Manuel. Why not?

    Here i cited a quote from our beloved leader.

    President Bush today in Miami: "It's so sad that right off the shores of our great nation that believes in human rights and human dignity exists this -- this dungeon," he said. "But someday Cuba will be free."




    Yah, someday, thanks for all your efforts President Bush. Ah, and i hope that two-million that you raised from the pockets of hard-working Cuban-Americans helps those racist South Carolina that do nothing but call Cubans spics.

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  6. A dungeon the USA helped create, someday Cuba will be free, yes, but not thanks to any American President.

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  7. Socialism in the Method to Fidel Castro Madness and He is the Joe Jackson of Cuba who severally beat his kids to success. Cuba is about to be successful, very successful thanks to Socialism dominance in the World now. That world wide bailout that Fidel Socialist family that did that. Should have never targeted Fidel Castro that was Capitalism worse mistake, now Socialism is everywhere including in the United Stated with or without Obama. Should never target Fidel you have no Ideal who you were targeting. Fidel was an untouchable for our people.

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