Historic Figure: Juan Pablo Duarte - Providence, RI

Juan Pablo Duarte

Providence, RI

N 41° 47.466 W 071° 24.577

Quick Description: 

A monument honoring a founding father of the Dominican Republic, Juan Pablo Duarte, is located on Hawthorne Avenue in Roger Williams Park, Providence RI.

Long Description:

A life-size metal bust of founding father of the Dominican Republic, Juan Pablo Duarte rests on a 5' high trapezoidal stone 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 front of the base is inscribed in Spanish and in English:

Juan Pablo Duarte

Padre de la Dominicana

Founding Father of the Dominican Republic

26 DE ENERO DE 1813

15 DE JULIO DE 1876

The back of the base is inscribed in Spanish and in English:

"Por desesperada que sea la causa de mi Patria;

siempre sera la causa del honor y siemper estare

dispuesto a honrar su ensena con mi sangre"

Juan Pablo Duarte

"No matter how desperate my Homeland's cause

it will always be the cause of honor and I will always

be prepared to honor the ensign with my blood."

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.