Cuban History

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Cuban History

Christopher Columbus landed on the island of Cuba on October 28, 1492, during

his initial westward voyage. In honor of the daughter of Ferdinand V and Isabella

I of Spain, his benefactors, Columbus named it Juana, the first of several names

he successively applied to the island. It eventually became known as Cuba, from

its aboriginal name, Cubanascnan.

Colonization by Spain

When Columbus first landed on Cuba it was inhabited by the Ciboney, a friendly

tribe related to the Arawak. Colonization of the island began in 1511, when the

Spanish soldier Diego Velázquez established the town of Baracoa. Velázquez

subsequently founded several other settlements, including Santiago de Cuba in

1514 and Havana in 1515. The Spanish transformed Cuba into a supply base for

their expeditions to Mexico and Florida. As a result of savage treatment and

exploitation, the aborigines became, by the middle of the 16th century, nearly

extinct, forcing the colonists to depend on imported black slaves for the

operation of the mines and plantations.

Despite frequent raids by buccaneers and naval units of rival and enemy

powers, the island prospered throughout the 16th and 17th centuries.

Restrictions imposed by the Spanish authorities on commercial activities were

generally disregarded by the colonists, who resorted to illicit trade with

privateers and neighboring colonies. Following the conclusion of the Seven

Years' War in 1763, during which the English captured Havana, the Spanish

government liberalized its Cuban policy, encouraging colonization, expansion of

commerce, and development of agriculture. Between 1774 and 1817 the

population increased from about 161,000 to more than 550,000. The remaining

restrictions on trade were officially eliminated in 1818, further promoting material

and cultural advancement.

During the 1830s, however, Spanish rule became increasingly repressive,

provoking a widespread movement among the colonists for independence. This

movement attained particular momentum between 1834 and 1838, during the

despotic governorship of the captain general Miguel de Tacón. Revolts and

conspiracies against the Spanish regime dominated Cuban political life

throughout the remainder of the century. In 1844 an uprising of black slaves was

brutally suppressed. A movement during the years 1848 to 1851 for annexation

of the island to the United States ended with the capture and execution of its

leader, the Spanish-American general Narciso López. Offers by the U.S.

government to purchase the island were repeatedly rejected by Spain. In 1868

revolutionaries under the leadership of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes proclaimed

Cuban independence. The ensuing Ten Years' War, a costly struggle to both

Spain and Cuba, was terminated in 1878 by a truce granting many important

concessions to the Cubans.

In 1886 slavery was abolished. Importation of cheap labor from China was

ended by 1871.

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