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Period: Jan 1, 1490 to
Dominican Republic
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Dec 6, 1492
Landing of the Spanish
During his first voyage, European explorer Christopher Columbus landed near a large island west of the Atlantic Ocean, which later became known as the Caribbean. The island later became the center of the Spanish rule in the New World. -
The French acquisition
France seized control of the Captaincy General of Santo Domingo from the Spanish after signing the Treaties of Basel. After the treaties were signed, the Era de Francia( the "Era of France") began. -
The Spanish regains the land
The Spanish laid siege to Santo Domingo on 27 November 1808, and with the assistance of the British, Santo Domingo returned to Spanish control by 9 July 1809. France's final capitulation took place on 11 July, ending the Spanish reconquest of Santo Domingo. -
Dominican independence proclaimed
In 1844, Dominican independence was proclaimed and the republic, which was often known as Santo Domingo until the early 20th century, maintained its independence. The new government featured a president with many liberal tendencies for the people. -
The Spanish occupation
n 1861 general Pedro Santana asked queen Isabella II of Spain to retake control of the Dominican Republic, after a period of only 17 years of independence. Spain, which had not come to terms with the loss of its American colonies 40 years earlier, accepted his proposal and made the country a colony again. -
Restoration of sovereignty
Rebels, who rejected Spanish rule, formalized their provisional rule by holding a national convention in February 1865, which enacted a new constitution.Unable to extract concessions from the disorganized rebels, in March 1865, Queen Isabella annulled the annexation and independence was restored, with the last Spanish troops departing by July. -
United States Occupation
On May 5, 1916,two companies of US marines landed from the USS Prairie at Santo Domingo. Their goal was to offer protection to the U.S. Legation and the U.S. Consulate, and to occupy the Fort San Geronimo. -
US withdrawl
After World War I, public opinion in the United States began to run against the occupation.To address this problem, representatives of the United States and the Dominican Republic governments met at a convention and signed a treaty, on December 27, 1924, which gave the United States control over the country's custom revenues. -
The rebellion strikes back
On April 16, 1965, growing dissatisfaction generated another military rebellion on April 24, 1965 that demanded Bosch's restoration. Immediately, conservative military forces, led by Elias Wessin,who called themselves Loyalists, struck back with tank assaults and aerial bombings against the insurgents. The fighting continued until August 31, 1965 when a truce was declared. -
Free at last
Since 1998 Freedom House has categorized the Dominican Republic as a free country. After many long years of occupations and civil war, the Dominican Republic officially became a country with free rights.
