Dominican Creole Emigration: 1791-1861

Abstract

The present-day Dominican Republic prides itself on being the offshoot of Spain’s first New World colony. A look at the population of that country, however, would seem to indicate that its people are considerably darker in complexion than Spain’s. For the racist, or one who shares an interest in race, this can be explained by, among other things, the twenty-two year occupation of the eastern, Spanish part of Hispaniola by the black Haitians and even the prior incursions dating back to Toussaint L’Ouverture’s invasion at the start of the nineteenth century. Another factor which, in addition to augmenting the process of “darkening” the Dominican people, greatly hampered the potential of the future Dominican Republic for effective self-government, was the emigration of Creole families from Spanish Santo Domingo in times of crisis ranging from the late 1700s up to the Second War of Independence in the early 1860s. Although a certain “darkening” of Spanish Santo Domingo was a result of this emigration, of far greater importance to this writer was its negative effect on the already strong proclivity for caudilloism (caudillismo), which has plagued the Dominican Republic to the present day.