Dominican+Republic+History

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Discovery:
Christopher Colombus "discovered" the island of Hispaniola on his first voyage in 1492. He named it La Española. Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic was founded in 1496 and is the oldest European settlement in the Western Hemisphere.

Timeline:
1795 - Spain ceded the country to France. 1801 - Haitians conquered the country. 1808 - People revolted and captured Santo Domingo, setting up the first republic. 1814 - Spain regained title of the colony. 1821 - Spanish were overthrown again. 1822 - Colony conquered by Haitians. 1844 - Dominican Republic was established, headed by Pedro Santana. 1870 - President Buenaventura Báez attempted to have the country annexed to the U.S. 1930 - Rafaél Leonides Trujillo Molina established a dictatorship. 1962 - Juan Bosch became the first democratically elected president in four decades.  


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