Martí and Cuban Independence Cuba had a long struggle for independence from Spain. The struggle consisted of three different wars - Ten Years War, Little War, and Spanish-American War. Even after the Spanish-American War, Cuba was then under the power of the United States instead of the Spanish. Throughout the struggle for freedom, one figure stood out and advocated for Cuban independence - José Martí. According to Martí, one reason Cuba continually failed to gain independence was due to failed nationalism. He defined nationalism as, “NO man has any special rights because he belongs to one race or another: say “man” and all rights have been stated” (Martí 7). With this explanation, Cubans need to bond together to be able to stand against
…show more content…
Two main ethnic groups existed in Cuba - natives and Europeans decedents. The natives interpreted that Martí was calling them important. One reason was for the same reason as the minority racial groups - he was against racism. The other reason was how he spoke about governing. He claimed, “To know the country and govern it in accordance with that knowledge is the only way of freeing it from tyranny” (Martí 4). The natives were the individuals who were there the longest, so they knew a lot about the country; they have been there through all of the power changes. They interpreted this as Martí saying they have valuable knowledge on how to help govern the nation. This affected the natives relationship to Cuba since it made them feel important; it made the natives feel like they actually had something to offer the nation. In contrast, the individuals of European descent viewed Martí 's statement as he was saying they have the knowledge considering they have also been there a long time; this was due to them believing that the natives should not be in the government due to the hierarchy system. Even though the same message was presented to all ethnic groups, they interpreted Martí’s idea …show more content…
The two political groups present in Cuba were Conservatives and Liberals. Although these two groups have different ideals, they both agreed to Martí’s proposal. When Martí addressed government, he said, “…that liberty, in order to be viable, must be sincere and full, that if the republic does not open its arms to all and include all in its progress, it dies” (Martí 5). Even though they were looking at the same section, Conservatives and Liberals interpreted Martí’s proposal differently. Conservatives believed that they needed to include everyone initially to be able to set the government up, but then would be able to convert back to their traditional ways. This interpretation stemmed from the Conservatives ' belief in tradition; they understood that they would need the full support to gain independence, but once that was gained, they hoped to transition back to a hierarchical system. This redefined Conservatives relationship to Cuba since they were going to pretend to be in favor of equality until independence was gained. On the other hand, the Liberals saw this as a way to structure the new government; everyone must be seen as citizens past just gaining independence. Part of the reason the Liberals thought this was due to Martí’s thoughts about racism along with his statement about government. Also, the Liberals had always been advocates for equality, so had not come as a shock. Both
Two main ethnic groups existed in Cuba - natives and Europeans decedents. The natives interpreted that Martí was calling them important. One reason was for the same reason as the minority racial groups - he was against racism. The other reason was how he spoke about governing. He claimed, “To know the country and govern it in accordance with that knowledge is the only way of freeing it from tyranny” (Martí 4). The natives were the individuals who were there the longest, so they knew a lot about the country; they have been there through all of the power changes. They interpreted this as Martí saying they have valuable knowledge on how to help govern the nation. This affected the natives relationship to Cuba since it made them feel important; it made the natives feel like they actually had something to offer the nation. In contrast, the individuals of European descent viewed Martí 's statement as he was saying they have the knowledge considering they have also been there a long time; this was due to them believing that the natives should not be in the government due to the hierarchy system. Even though the same message was presented to all ethnic groups, they interpreted Martí’s idea …show more content…
The two political groups present in Cuba were Conservatives and Liberals. Although these two groups have different ideals, they both agreed to Martí’s proposal. When Martí addressed government, he said, “…that liberty, in order to be viable, must be sincere and full, that if the republic does not open its arms to all and include all in its progress, it dies” (Martí 5). Even though they were looking at the same section, Conservatives and Liberals interpreted Martí’s proposal differently. Conservatives believed that they needed to include everyone initially to be able to set the government up, but then would be able to convert back to their traditional ways. This interpretation stemmed from the Conservatives ' belief in tradition; they understood that they would need the full support to gain independence, but once that was gained, they hoped to transition back to a hierarchical system. This redefined Conservatives relationship to Cuba since they were going to pretend to be in favor of equality until independence was gained. On the other hand, the Liberals saw this as a way to structure the new government; everyone must be seen as citizens past just gaining independence. Part of the reason the Liberals thought this was due to Martí’s thoughts about racism along with his statement about government. Also, the Liberals had always been advocates for equality, so had not come as a shock. Both