Juan Pablo Duarte - Miami, FL
Posted by: 
neoc1
N 25° 46.591 W 080° 11.269
17R E 581436 N 2851185
A monument honoring a founding father of the Dominican Republic, Juan Pablo Duarte, is located on Biscayne Blvd. between NE 2nd and NE 3rd Streets in Miami, FL.
Waymark Code: WMTBWY
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 10/30/2016
Views: 7
A life-size metal bust of founding father of the Dominican Republic, Juan Pablo Duarte rests on a 5.5/ high square limestone base. Duarte is depicted from the mid-chest. He is wearing a suit jacket, vest, shirt, and bow tie. This monument was dedicated by the Dominican community in Rhode Island.
The upper plaque on the front of the base is inscribed in Spanish:
1813 - 1876
JUAN PABLO DUARTE
FUNDADOR
DE LA
REPUBLICA DOMINICANA
MIAMI 1976
The lower plaque on the front of the base is inscribed in Spanish:
LA FUNDACION
JUAN PABLO DUARTE
Y LA COMUNIDAD DE
MIAMI AL CREADOR
DE LA
REPUBLICA DOMINICANA
1990
Juan Pablo Duarte is a hero of the Dominican Republic and its struggle to achieve independence from Haitian rule in 1844. He both inspired and financed the Dominican War of Independence.
The present day Dominican Republic was once the Spanish colony of Santo Domingo. In December 1821 the elite class of Santo Domingo declared its independence from Spain. In 1822, neighboring Haiti moved to unify the Island of Hispaniola under Haitian Rule. The Haitain occupation became unpopular and, in 1838, Juan Pablo Duarte, along with Matías Ramón Mella and Francisco del Rosario Sánchez (who are also honored on the sides of the monument), started a resistance movement called La Trinitaria ("The Trinity"). On February 27, 1844 the rebel forces took control of the main fortress in the capital city of Santo Domingo and proclaimed independence from Haiti.
In 1845 General Pedro Santana, who wanted to revert to Spanish rule, achieved power and exiled Duarte and his family to Venezuela. There his family prospered. The Dominican Republic made him Dominican Consul in Venezuela and provided with a pension to honor him for his service. He died in Caracas, Venezuela on July 15, 1876 at aged 63.