SUMMER WRITING ADVENTURE IN 2018

Hello, everyone,

My Composition I Summer Class and I are very happy to share the results of our writing adventure during the 2018 Summer Course at the Languages School at Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo, first in America. This is the second time my students and I follow the writing process focusing on the Dominican Republic recent history (1959-1978). We hope you all enjoy these nine essays on historical dates, events and characters. Does any of the events, characters or dates call your attention? Why? How are any of the events and characters similar to those in your country?

THE MIRABAL SISTERS

By Anyi Rosario Dirocie

The Mirabal sisters were important women for the Dominican Republic. They focused on the situation that Dominicans were living. They formed a movement with the purpose of overthrowing Rafael Leonidas Trujillo. They were convinced that the country needed a change in political rules. They did memorable things for the Dominican Republic. They sacrificed their lives to free Dominicans from Trujillo`s regime.

First of all, the lives of Mirabal sisters were interesting. The Mirabal sisters were from Ojo de Agua in Salcedo. They grew up there with their parents. Patria, the eldest one, was born on February 27^th, 1924. She studied at Inmaculada Concepcion School. She got married at the age 17, and had four children. Minerva was born on March 12^th, 1926. After she finished school, she enrolled at Universidad de Santo Domingo where she studied law. She married Manolo Tavarez Justo, and had two children. Maria Teresa was born on October 15^th, 1935. She studied math at Universidad de Santo Domingo. She married Leandro Guzman and they had a child.

One very important thing was the contribution of the Mirabal sisters to the Dominican Republic for its liberation from Trujillo`s regime. The Mirabal sisters dedicated their lives to fight against Trujillo`s dictatorship. They and their husbands did not want to live under Trujillo`s regime. That was the reason why they formed a movement named El Movimiento del 14 de Junio (The Movement of Jun 14<sup>th</sup>). They were symbols and leaders of that movement in which they were commonly known as The Butterflies. They distributed pamphlets about many people whom Trujillo had killed, and obtained materials for guns and bombs to use when they eventually openly revolted. They never gave up to defend their rights because they were brave women, so they were not afraid of Trujillo`s dictatorship. The Mirabal sisters always tried to free the Dominican Republic from Trujillo`s dictatorship. They were models to follow.

The Mirabal Sisters death was terrible. They were brutally assassinated by a person who was sent by Trujillo. Before their death, they were taken to prison because of their plan to fight against Trujillo`s regime. Trujillo realized that there were some people who agreed with the plan of the Mirabal sisters to finish with his dictatorship. So he decided to kill them. They were captured on a road and forced to enter into a jeep by the killer. They were tortured and assassinated in a horrific way. The way the Mirabal sisters were murdered impacted a lot of people around the world.       

                         

To sum up, the lives of Mirabal sisters attract people`s interest. The things that the Mirabal sisters did for the Dominican Republic made them unforgettable women. Their brutal murder remained in the memory of Dominican people forever. 

DR. JOSÉ FRANCISCO PEÑA GÓMEZ

By Belgica Yinett Morales Manzanillo

      DR. José Francisco Peña Gómez is a very important character in the Dominican Republic. He taught Dominican people to be strong and fight for what they want to achieve one day. To José Francisco Peña Gómez, democracy is what represents a nation. It’s doesn’t matter what skin color people have to show the great capacity they have in society.

     First of all, José Francisco Peña Gómez was born on March 6^th, 1937 on the hill of El Flaco, Cruce Guayacanes, Mao. He was abandoned when he was a few years old when the terror spread in the Dominican countryside, especially in the areas near the border between the Dominican Republic and Haiti. His parents had to flee from the persecution of the dictator, Rafael Leónidas Trujillo in 1937, during the massacre of Haitians. José Francisco Peña Gómez stayed in the mountains of Gurabo, Mao along with his only brother, Domingo and a minor relative. For these reasons, José Francisco Peña Gómez had a hard childhood.

     A second part of José Francisco Peña Gómez’s life is about is importance for the Dominican Republic. José Francisco Peña Gómez was one of the most popular leaders in recent political history in the Dominican Republic. He is synonymous with democracy due to his populist discourse. At the time of his death, with admirers converging from all areas of the country, the Dominican government had to accept his body to be displayed at the Estadio Olímpico Feliz Sánchez (Felix Sánchez Olympic Stadium) in the Centro Olímpico Juan Pablo Duarte (Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center) to accommodate the crowd that was waiting for the body. In his honor, the most important airport in the Dominican Republic was renamed to Aeropuerto Internacional de las Americas, José Francisco Peña Gómez (Las Americas International Airport José Francisco Peña Gómez). José Francisco Peña Gómez was a good example in Dominican political history.

     José Francisco Peña Gómez´s death resulted in a generalized commotion in the country. He died of pulmonary edema the morning of May 10^th, 1998 at his home in Cambita, Garabitos. Following his death, the Dominican government decreed three days of national mourning in recognition of his personal merits and indisputable contributions to democracy.

     In conclusion, José Francisco Peña Gómez left a mark of struggle for equality and democracy in the Dominican Republic. Although José Francisco Peña Gómez did not have a good childhood, he could manage to be very important in life and excel among people with his effort and performance. His life shows that when people struggle to achieve what they set out to do, it does not matter what obstacles to succeed and leave traces.

THE 1965 WAR

By Débora Lisania Guerrero Cueto

The 1965 War helps to remember how democracy was fought in the Dominican Republic. During this important historical event, the people joined the fight and many lost their lives. In spite of the years that have passed, this event still has a message for today’s Dominican society. The 1965 War was a demonstration of courage in Dominican history.

First of all, the antecedents of the 1965 War are part of the recent Dominican history. To begin with, in 1930, Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina started his government. In those times, people lived a life full of violence and fear. There was not freedom of expression. After 31 years of political oppression, a group of men decided to kill the dictator. After Trujillo's death, the first democratic elections were celebrated in the country. In those elections, Juan Emilio Bosch Gaviño was democratically elected as president of the Dominican Republic. In his government, Juan Bosch tried to help poor sectors such as farmers, children and Dominican families. But in spite of his good government, Bosch forgot that Trujillo’s followers were still in the country. This group of people gave a coup d’état to Juan Bosch when he had been president for only 7 months. The Triunvirato government was established, and Prof. Bosch was exiled to Puerto Rico. The Dominican people felt very happy with the democratic government they had for only 7 months with Bosch as president and decided to fight for democracy.

When the war started, prominent people were selected as main leaders. They were known for their actions during the war. These leaders were not only men. There were also many women who gave their lives for democracy in the Dominican Republic. Some of them are Francisco Alberto Caamaño Deñó, Juan María Lora Fernández, Rafael Tomás Fernández Domínguez and Emma Tavares Justo. Francisco Alberto Caamaño Deñó was born in San Juan de la Maguana, on June 11^th, 1932. He is known as a courageous hero in Dominican history. He took charge of the constitutional presidency of the Republic during the war. Juan Maria Lora Fernández was born in la Vega, on April 30^th, 1929. Being a young man, he decided to get into the National Police. He was responsible of the taking of Ozama Fortress. Lora was a Major in the Constitutional Army. Rafael Tomás Fernández Domínguez was born in Valverde, on September 18^th, 1934. He directed the Constitutionalist Military Movement. Rafael Tomás played such a really important role in the fight for democracy. Emma Tavares Justo was one of the female leaders in the fight. She studied Law at the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD). Justo was a real activist. At the beginning of the war, she created a center to help the injured warriors, because they didn't have any place to go when they were disabled. All these characters were courageous leaders during the organization and realization of the war of 1965.

Moreover, Dominican people's reaction in 1965 War was very active and risky. In the beginning, the main political  parties of that time, the Partido Revolucionario Dominicano (PRD), the Partido Revolucionario Social Cristiano (PRSC) and the Movimiento Revolucionario 14 de Junio (MR- 1J4) organized protests and strikes to show Dominican people's attitude in front of the government they had. On April 24^th, 1965, Dr. José Francisco Peña Gómez, talking through a radio station, asked Dominican people to get up with weapons and go to the streets to show that the Republic was disappointed. On April 25^th, 1965, the National Palace was taken by the democrats. The Colonel Elias Wessin y Wessin ordered to send combat aircrafts. Simultaneously, war tanks and infantry were sent by earth to start the machine gunning to the Palace. In other to reattach, weapons were delivered to civilians. Women, men, adolescents, and young men fought against the Triunvirato government. Women helped attacking with guns in the streets of Santo Domingo and young people made bombs. During the War, Dominican people decided to perform bravely in the fight for democracy.

In summary, the previous political events to 1965 War were the cause why Dominican people decided to fight for democracy. The main leaders of this war were very brave people. Furthermore, Dominican people played a significant role during this civil revolution. Necessary sacrifices need to be made until people reach the proposed goals. Therefore, braveness, determination and sacrifice define the feat of April 1965.

AMÍN ABEL HASBÚN

By Emmanuel Alexandre Jouissance

            Through time, many people have longed for a political change in the Dominican Republic. However, none was highlighted as the fearless man, Amín Abel Hasbún. He was a brave man who looked for a transformation for his university and country. He made the difference with his academic and political career until his death.

            First, Amín Abel Hasbún´s Academic life was brilliant. He studied en La Salle high school and graduated in Math and Physic Sciences in 1958. He was the unique student of his promotion who obtained the title of eminent. He studied in the Engineering and Architecture faculty at Universidad Autonóma de Santo Domingo, UASD (Autonomous University in Santo Domingo). He earned a degree as a Civil Engineer in 1960. The Engineering and Architecture Faculty holds his name until now. He was the brightest of his promotion at UASD.

            Second, the political career of Amín Abel Hasbún was courageous. He became a politician against the President Rafael Leónidas Trujillo ´s regime in 1960. In 1961, after the President´s death, he joined the students at UASD to find its autonomy. He was appointed in different functions like General Secretary of Federación de Estudiantes Dominicanos, FED (Dominican Students Federation). He was its representative in a meeting in Hungría. He defended the students’ rights about a referred exam to be accepted. He was expelled from UASD temporarily. Nonetheless, He never gave up because he was a determined man. He was still the leader of the students movement.  He was reelected General Secretary at that movement. He participated in a hunger strike against the bad decisions of university leaders and against the students union. He was arrested the same day of the coup d’état against Professor Juan Bosch. However, he escaped from the Police Department. A coincidence was that he got married the day of the insurrection against Triunvirato on April 24^th, 1965 that culminated in the American intervention on April 28^th. He was arrested for supporting the commemoration of the coup d’état against Professor Juan Bosch. He wrote some articles while he was in jail with his political companion, Rafael Francisco Taveras Rosario. Several months later, he went out of jail. He came back like a leader of Movimiento Popular Dominicano, MPD (Dominican Popular Movement). The big problem was that he was accused of kidnapping the American Colonel, Donald J. Crowley in 1970. However, his political party and his family refused to accept he had done it. Courageously, he decided to live as a clandestine man. His Political career was intrepid.

            Third, Amín Abel Hasbún´s death was terrible and regrettable. The Dominican secret Police officers broke into his house and found him with his wife. He was arrested and forced to go out. He was killed with a shot on his head on Thursday, April 24^th, 1970. The council of UASD declared him son of the Alma Mater. The Engineering and Architecture faculty bear his name until now to remember him. His horrific death was really deplorable.

            To sum up, Amín Abel Hasbún was an excellent student. Moreover, he was a super intellectual. But, his early death was sad.  His actions made him an unforgettable man.

RAFAEL LEONIDAS TRUJILLO’S DEATH

By Lismeiry Patricia Muñoz

            Rafael Leonidas Trujillo’s death was something good for the Dominican Republic. He was one of the worst tyrants in Latin America in the twentieth century. Anyone could not do or say anything against him. He was killed because of many things he did during his dictatorship. Trujillo’s killing brought many changes for the Dominican Republic.

            First of all, Trujillo’s murder was caused because of many bad things he did during his government in the Dominican Republic. He ruled the country for thirty years. He was a murderer, a robber, a rapist, and he used to do everything he wanted without any consequences. Dominican people were afraid of him, but after thirty years of his tyranny, a group of men, in conspiracy with the United States, decided to kill him. Besides that, people were fed up of his tyranny. There are more causes of his killing. Some examples are the Mirabal sisters’ death, the murder of Jesus de Galindez Suarez, the assassination of the North American pilot, Gerald Murphy, the terrorist attack against Romulo Betancourt in Venezuela, and the deterioration of his relations with Catholic Church and the United States. Trujillo was the main responsible of his own death.

            Secondly, Rafael Leonidas Trujillo’s killing was the crowning of a conspiracy which wanted to finish with his tyranny. His killing was on Tuesday, May 30^th, 1961 on George Washington Avenue when he was going to his house in San Cristobal. He was killed by a group of men which took advantage of the fact that Trujillo’s old son, Ramfis Trujillo, was not in the Dominican Republic. Some of the men that killed him were Pedro Livio Cedeño, Amado Garcia, Huascar Tejeda, Salvador Estrella Sadhala, Antonio Imbert Barreras, Antonio de la Maza, Roberto Pastoriza, Jose Roman Fernandez, and Juan Tomas Diaz. The night that Trujillo was killed, he had gone to the air base in San Isidro with Jose Roman, who was in the group of men that wanted to kill him. That night, there was a vehicle behind Trujillo’s car, while on the route to his house. Two more cars were waiting for him. At the agreed signal, they shot him from behind. Trujillo’s driver stopped the car and Trujillo got out of it and shouted, "I am hurt, but let’s fight". Then, they started to fight and Trujillo died while Pedro Livio Cedeño got really badly hurt. All the men who killed Trujillo were murdered by the Intelligence Militar Service agents’, but at least, they could end Trujillo’s tyranny. Trujillo’s era finished that night.

            The murder of Rafael Leonidas Trujillo brought many changes for the Dominican Republic. Each of the changes caused by Trujillo’s death brought other negatives consequences for Dominican people, which took a while to recover. Despite the end of one of the worst sinister dictatorships of the twentieth century, the country had to face a bad situation. One consequence of Trujillo’s death was that Ramfis Trujillo Martinez took power of the Dominican Republic. However, he and all of Trujillo’s family were expulsed out of the country. Also, the second invasion of the United States against Dominican Republic was another consequence. Other consequences were a great economical crisis in the country, Juan Bosch becoming president in the Dominican Republic, and son on. Although the country went through a bad time during and after Trujillo’s dictatorship, its people knew how to recover and let everything that happened behind.

             To conclude, Rafael Leonidas Trujillo’s death was caused because of many badly things he did during his tyranny in the Dominican Republic. The black Tuesday for Trujillo was May 30^th, the day of his killing. His murder brought lots of consequences for Dominican people. The day of his killing resulted in the liberty of Dominican people after thirty years of tyranny.   

                

SECOND INVASION OF THE UNITED STATES AGAINST THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

By Mariany N. Martínez M.

The twentieth century represented one of the most unsettled historical eras in the Dominican Republic, not only because of Rafael Leónidas Trujillo’ s dictatorship, but also because of  foreign oppression. The second invasion of the United States against the Dominican Republic was a memorable event, in which Dominican citizens raised their voices and worked together against the invaders.

Initially, there were some events that made the second invasion of the United States against the Dominican Republic possible. Beyond Rafael Leónidas Trujillo’s death, the elections held in 1962, in which Juan Bosch was elected president were held. Seven months later, he received a coup d’état on September 25^th, 1973. A civil triumvirate imposed by the armed forces preceded his government. On April 24^th, 1965, there was a confrontation between two groups, Los Constitucionalistas, (The Constitutionalists) who wanted to reestablish Juan Bosh’s government, and the ones who were responsible for the coup d’état, and el Bando Leal, (The Loyal Group). On April 27^th, the United States embassy blamed The Constitutionalists Movement of being influenced by communism, and as a consequence of that, they decided to invade the country. The United States Second Invasion was made under the excuses of protecting their soldiers, reestablish Dominican constitutional process and thereby, avoid the formation of a government similar to that of Fidel Castro in Cuba. For these reasons our county got caught up in another intervention by the United States.

Beyond the causes, there were some characters that played an important role in second North American intervention. The most important characters were Juan Bosh, founder of the Partido Revolucionario Dominicano (Dominican Revolutionary Party), and president of the Dominican Republic in 1963; Dr. Ramirez de los Santos; Dr. Ramón Tapia and Manuel Taveras Espaillat, members of the civil triumvirate that ruled the country in 1963; Manuel Aurelio Tavarez Justo, main leader of the Movimiento Revolucionario 14 de Junio (June 14th Revolutionary Movement), which fought against the first triumvirate government; Francisco Alberto Caamaño Deñó and Manuel Montes Arache, leaders of  The Constitutionalists, which wanted to reestablish Juan Bosh’s government; Dr. Donal Reid Cabral, president of the second triumvirate; Lyndon B. Johnson, the United States president, who ordered to invade the country. During the war process, a significant group of Dominican women contributed with the patriotic cause. Among their activities were weapon transporting, looking for food and clothes, taking care of the wounded, and helping the fighters. Some of them were Picki Lora, Yolanda Guzman, Emma Tavarez, Magali Pineda and Ivelice Acebedo. Those characters were the most outstanding in the United States second invasion.     

As a result, the consequences of the United States second invasion were not only reflected in the human costs, but also in the intangible costs. This incident enhanced the political fragmentation and the country dependence on the United States. It made the development of an effective political institution harder, which strengthened the United States imperialism. Furthermore, this reduced the possibilities of success of the pacific reforms that many American civil servants wanted to see in Latin America. Thus, the second North American invasion was a representation of the imperialistic control of the United States over the Dominican Republic.

In summary, the second North American invasion was possible thanks to certain events that took place in the country. Also, this fact cost the country its political stability. Through the intervention, Dominican citizens proved their courage and loyalty to their homeland. The second North American intervention ruined the Dominican Republic’s plans of reaching maturity and political democracy. 

PROFESSOR JUAN BOSCH

By Oralis Laureano Muñoz                 

            Juan Bosch was an admirable figure in the Dominican Republic. He was a brilliant person since he was a child. Bosch was passionate for literature. Reading was a very important part of his life. He was a respectable politician. He was a person who wanted to serve his home land. He was a great writer, journalist and a politician. Bosch's books teach the reader a new lesson of life. He died, but he is alive in Dominican people’s hearts.

            First, Juan Emilio Bosch Gaviño was an extraordinary child. He was born on June 30^TH, 1909 in Rio Verde La Vega. His parents were Emilio Bosch and Angela Gaviño. He got his name from his grandparents. He was a genius since his early age. He did not attend to class regularly. He learned his everyday lessons. Bosch began his studies in Rio Verde, La Vega. His first teacher was Paquita Sanchez who taught him how to read and how to write.  When he was seven years old, he attended to a school named San Sebastian. It was there where he completed his primary and high School studies. He was a child with lots extraordinary skills for life. That is why most of Dominican people and people around the world admire him.

            Also, Bosch was a very honest man who dedicated most of his life to politics. He travelled to Cuba and Costa Rica because of his disagreement with Trujillo, but he was in contact to his politics partners all the time to get information about the country situation. Once Trujillo was killed, he was ready to come back to his home land.  Bosch won the presidential elections in 1963, a coup d’etat ended his government after seven months. He was trying to become the Dominican's president again. He encountered lots of obstacles in the way. He did not have an opportunity to become citizen number one  again; nevertheless, he is remembered as one of the best politicians in the Dominican Republic.

            Most important, Juan Bosch is an unforgettable person. He left Dominican people his knowledge and legacy. His bequest comes from his childhood to the moment when he died on November 1^ST, 2001. He wrote lots of books such as, the novel La Mañosa.  As a politician, he made history in the Dominican Republic. He created the Partido de la Liberacion Dominicana (PLD) and the Partido Revolucionario Dominicano (PRD) which are the parties with majority of people. When he was the president of the Dominican Republic on 1962, he did his best effort to do it well. Unfortunately, his period was too short. He could not achieve the goals he wanted.

            In summary, Juan Bosch was a very smart boy. He was a great human being. Bosch was a multifaceted person. If the Dominican Republic had a thousand people like him, it would be an excellent country and migration would decrease for sure. 

COLONEL FRANCISCO ALBERTO CAAMAÑO DEÑÓ

By Perla Michelle Gil Cruz

            Colonel Francisco Alberto Caamaño Deñó was an exceptional man. He was very important to the Dominican Republic because he dedicated his life to serve others. He did a lot of important things that helped Dominicans to grow as a society. He helped to restore the sovereignty of the Dominican Republic by fighting to defended the country.

            Firstly, Francisco Alberto Caamaño Deñó’s childhood was unequaled. He was born on June 11^th, 1932 in Santo Domingo at Padre Billini Hospital. He was the third son of Lieutenant General Fausto Caamaño Medina and Enerolisa Deñó. He enrolled in different schools when he was a child. He first went to school in San Cristobal, and then at Salesiano and Santo Thomas private schools in the Capital city of the Dominican Republic. He and his brothers were sent to the Riverside Military Academy in the United States, and then to La Salle High School. Most of his Friends were from poor families with whom he practiced Swimming, Baseball, Volleyball, Boxing and Cockfighting. He developed a strong and independent character since his childhood. Since he was a child, he showed his love for this country and his neighbors so much that at the age of eight, he took food from the pantry of his house to give it to his friends when they were hungry. These interesting events gave way to the formation of a heroic man.

            Secondly, Francisco Alberto Caamaño’s main did was leading the 1965 war. He was a Dominican soldier and politician who served in the constitutional presidency of the Dominican Republic during the Civil War of 1965. Thanks to the influence of his family, Caamaño stood out in an efficient and careful vocation of service to the military institutions of his country. During the last years of Rafael Leonidas Trujillo´s Era, he commanded the Cascos Blancos (White Helmets) corps in the National Police. In 1964, he held the headquarters of Radio Patrulla (Radio Patrol). That same year, he joined the Conspirators Group who, under the direction of Colonel Fernandez Dominguez, sought to overthrow the regime of Reid Cabral and restore the constitutional order that disappeared on September 25^th, 1963 after the coup which ended the Government of president Juan Bosch. During the Dominican Civil War that began on April 24^th, 1965, Caamaño was one of the leaders in the movement to restore the democratically elected president Bosch. Then, he emerged as the main hero when he fought against the military intervention of the United States with the presence of more than 22,000 marines who invaded the country. Because of these events, on May 3^rd, 1965, the national congress elected and appointed Caamaño as constitutional president of the Dominican Republic, taking possession on May 4^th. On September 3^rd, he presented his resignation in a massive act in Fortaleza Ozama, after the signing of Reconciliation Act that put an end to the armed conflict and a Provisional Government was constituted, under the chairmanship of Hector Garcia Godoy.

            Thirdly, Francisco Alberto Caamaño’s death shook Dominican people. First of all, during the winter of 1973, Caamaño led the landing of a small group of rebels at Playa Caracoles, near Azua, and then into the mountains of Cordillera Central, with the purpose of starting a revolution to overthrow Dominican president Joaquin Balaguer. Then, the guerrilla group suffered several attacks in their march toward the Capital city when the forces of the regular army intercepted them. On February 16^th, 1973, Caamaño and two of his companions were arrested. Only three members of the armed expedition managed to survive. The testimony of one of them certified that Caamaño was captured alive, and then executed by the government troops. Caamaño’s death shook our country because he was very important to the Dominican Republic. For that reason, people remember and honor him.

            To sum up, Francisco Alberto Caamaño Deñó’s childhood was very different from others. Furthermore, he commanded the Civil War of 1965. However, his death was one of the most tragic events in Dominican history. Francis Caamaño was the man who set his life at stake to defend Dominican rights.

DR. MANUEL AURELIO TAVÁREZ JUSTO’S LIFE

By Ramona Jazmín Antuna  

The Dominican Republic has many important political characters, Dr. Manuel Aurelio Tavárez Justo is one of them. Throughout his whole life he became an important man who wanted to change his country destination.  During his childhood, he received a lot of information about historical events that affected the country such as the United Stated invasion in 1916, Rafael Leonidas Trujillo’s regime and others.  His ideals are still alive for many people who would like to have a country as good as he liked.

Since his childhood, Manuel Aurelio Tavárez Justo reveled that he wanted to be a politician. He was born in Montecristi, on January 2^nd, in 1931. Friends and relatives used to call him Manolo. Manuel Francisco Tavárez Ramos and Josefa Justo Rosseau were his parents. He received elementary school education in the Number One Men School and the Normal Men School in his town. When he was a child, he loved to talk with farmers from his father´s rice plantation and they would tell him how the tyrannical government had affected the country with too many abuses. Due to these actions, Manuel Aurelio Tavárez Justo decided to be a good student in order to succeed and study at the university.

Manuel Aurelio Tavárez Justo did not have a long political life. As soon as he became in a lawyer, he began to struggle against Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, the dictator in the Dominican Republic at this moment. It is good to know that he got married on 1955.  His wife, Minerva Mirabal was his classmate at the Universidad De Santo Domingo and she was a lawyer, too. But, she and her sisters Patria and Maria Teresa were killed by Trujillo´s soldiers one day when they were going to visit their husbands at Puerto Plata’s jail while they were in prison. After those deaths, people fought against Trujillo’s government, and a group of brave men who were tired of his misbehavior killed him on May 30th, 1961. But Manolo had to continue to carry out clandestine activities from jail in order to obtain his freedom. After Trujillo´s death, Manolo was able to go out the jail and work hard in favor of the constitutional government. On December 20^th, in 1962, the country celebrated elections in which Juan Bosch won, after three decades of Rafael Leonidas Trujillo‘s dictatorship. In this time, Manolo Tavárez Justo did not participate with his group called 14 de Junio or 1J4. Then, Juan Bosch was president and Manolo did not like the way Bosch was governing, because he did not propose an appropriate plan of agrarian reform to the country and agricultural production. Juan Bosch received a Coup d’état on September 25^th, 1963. Then, a new temporary government that did not like the actions taken by the Movement 14 de Junio started. Manolo and his followers took the mountains in order to obtain the presidency and stop their oppression. When a man wants to succeed in politics, many cruel things happen. After those events, a new tragedy happened to him and his friends.

Manuel Aurelio Tavárez Justo’s ideals have a great importance for Dominican society. After he died, many Dominicans suffered because many valuable men died with him. The police promised to protect his life and his friends’ lives too, but instead of this, military people killed all of them. He was the last one because they wanted to show Manolo that he was wrong. The International Human Rights considered this fact as a crime against humanity. Many people remember these words that he said: ‘’Revolution is not the idea of one person, revolution is not the idea of one political party, revolution just can happen if all the citizens get together and struggle for things that the country really needs’’. With his faithful example the Dominican Republic learned that there are men and women who need to be remembered and receive honor because of their way of behaving.

It does not matter how a person childhood was, but also how many difficult things happened during his or her political career.  Many people can show others how to behave politically speaking.  Sometimes, it has brutal consequences like in Manolo Aurelio Tavárez Justo’s life, which was not easy at that time. Losing his wife, sisters in law and friends, escaping to the mountains, suffering many abuses in jail, and being killed by an opposite political group is just the price this Dominican politician had to pay for living free of a new dictatorial government.  

Santo Domingo 2018