La Trinitaria (, The Trinity) was a secret society founded in 1838 in what today is known as Arzobispo Nouel Street, across from the "Del Carmen's Church" in the then occupied Santo Domingo, the current capital of the Dominican Republic. The founder, Juan Pablo Duarte, and a group of like minded young people, led the struggle to establish the Dominican Republic as a free, sovereign, and independent nation in the 19th century. Their main goal was to protect their newly liberated country from all foreign invasion. They helped bring about the end of the Haitian occupation of Santo Domingo from 1822 to 1844.
Acting in three-person cells and communicating through a complex system of passwords and codes, La Trinitaria focused on a three-pronged message of democracy, representative government, and independence for the Dominican Republic. While they focused on radical ideals, they funneled those ideals through art – members of the group would create intricate theater acts that they would perform anywhere from people's homes in front of a dozen onlookers to the stage of La Carcel Vieja – where hundreds would look on. The performances were created to build communities and establish unity among Dominicans. Woven within the plays would be revolutionary political messaging that would push the agendas of the Trinitarios. These works led to the exile of Duarte in 1843.
Etymology
The name La Trinitaria was given in honor of the Holy Trinity. The name La Trinitaria alludes to the recruitment method, in which each one had the mission of recruiting three additional members, and these in turn did not reveal the identity of the others. The method used was imported by Duarte, who had spent the previous decade in Europe.
History In 1821, the once-vibrant economic powerhouse known as the Colony of Santo Domingo began its fight for what is known as the Ephemeral Independence. But unfortunately, the newly independent state lacked support and the leaders were unable to secure a deal with Gran Colombia. By 1822 the newly independent Haitians were fearful that the French would use the eastern portion of the island to mount an attack on Haiti, and re-establish slavery. Under the leadership of Jean Pierre Boyer, the Haitians invaded the eastern side of Hispaniola, outlawed slavery, and unified the island once again. However, conditions under Haitian rule were no better than they had been under the Spanish, and a growing part of the population became dissatisfied with the situation.
A man, Juan Pablo Duarte returned to the country from his studies in the United States and Europe in 1833. After eleven years of domination, the idea of freedom was planted in Duarte by the captain of the ship that took him to the United States, who questioned him about how he felt to be a "slave." At the age of 20, Duarte began the work of independence by sowing ideas of freedom among his friends, to whom he gave free education in his father's hardware store, located on Las Atarazanas Street.
While this was happening, a handwritten sheet called The Spanish Dominican, began to circulate through the city, with messages against the Haitian Government, established in the eastern part of the island in 1822 and directed by the leader Jean Pierre Boyer. The pasquín soon generated interest in the Capital and throughout the country. In response, Boyer circulated La Chicharra, a publication aimed at controlling the rebellion. Although it was anonymous, the pamphlet was written by José María Serra de Castro, who confided his secret to Duarte. Immediately, both joined in the task until one day Duarte encouraged him to deploy more forceful actions.
Formation
The foundation of the Trinitarios took place on July 16, 1838, at 11 in the morning, in the city of Santo Domingo, Calle del Arquillo, (which was later called Santo Tomás and is currently Calle Arzobispo Nouel), number 255 in front of the Nuestra Señora del Carmen Church. This was the modest house of Doña Josefa Antonia Pérez (Chepita) and her son, the Juan Isidro Pérez. That day and time was chosen because there would be a crowded procession, and Juan Pablo Duarte considered that it would be more convenient to keep the secret than holding the meeting in a remote place or in the early morning hours.
In that house, he met with eight of his friends and they established the La Trinitaria Secret Society. In that memorable meeting, Duarte told those present: Citado por:
At that moment those present interrupted him and confirmed his decision to fight for the proclamation of the Dominican Republic. It was then that Duarte took out of his pocket a document that everyone had to sign with his blood; but before that solemn act, those present took the following oath, written by Duarte himself:Ibídem, p. 50
After having said the oath, According to historian Mariano Lebrón Saviñón, to formalize their union, the Trinitarios read the Trinitarian Oath and signed it with their own blood, placing a cross before each person's name. Duarte then said:Ibídem, p. 50
Serra, Ruiz and Ravelo validate their own attendance at that solemn meeting, as do those of Duarte, Pérez and Pedro Alejandro Pina. Ravelo's list is incomplete, as he noted that there had been 12 attendees, of whom he only remembered the names of seven. When Emiliano Tejera interrogated Duarte in Caracas, in 1864, he pointed out that Francisco del Rosario Sánchez and Matías Ramón Mella immediately entered La Trinitaria. Tejera concluded that on July 16 there were two meetings, an inaugural one in the morning and another in the afternoon, in which new members joined. Different sources indicate that at the beginning of La Trinitaria, there were several categories of members. Tejera, with the endorsement of other scholars on the subject, concluded that those attending the morning meeting were: Duarte, Juan Isidro Pérez, Pedro Alejandro Pina, Jacinto de la Concha, Félix María Ruiz, José María Serra, Benito González, Juan Nepomuceno Ravelo and Felipe Alfau. In addition to these nine, the immediate accession of several more is noted, who can also be considered founders of the revolutionary organization: Francisco del Rosario Sánchez, Matías Ramón Mella, Vicente Celestino Duarte, Félix María Del Monte, Juan Nepomuceno Tejera, Tomás de la Concha, Jacinto de la Concha, José A. Bonilla, Pedro Carrasco, Epifanio Billini, Joaquín Lluberes, Pedro Pablo Bonilla, Pedro Antonio Bobea, Juan Evangelista Jiménez, Remigio del Castillo and others.
Each founding member had a pseudonym and an assigned color to protect their identity. Duarte was named president and general of the secret organization, with the power to grant degrees. His close followers received the rank of colonel, and were recognized by a pseudonym and a color. For example, Duarte had blue, which meant glory, Pérez had yellow, a symbol of politics, Pina had red to mean patriotic passion, and Sánchez had green, for hope. Each one had to look for two more who only knew him, so that in case of betrayal only two would be in danger and not all of the conspirators. In addition, they had an alphabet and touch code to communicate.
Ideology and teachings
Various documents report on his conception of the ideal order that the nation should achieve. The main source is the draft Constitution that he prepared between the months of April and June 1844, which was left unfinished due to the events that took place. First, it points out that absolute independence constitutes the cardinal law of the nation and the State, and that therefore it is inviolable, regardless of the circumstances. Duarte was opposed to the conservatives, who lacked faith in the ability of Dominicans to make an independent state viable. When events precipitated from the beginning of 1843, almost all conservatives, belonging to the older generations of the upper urban strata, who until then had collaborated with the Haitian rulers, came to the conclusion that the ideal formula to free themselves from the Haitian yoke It was the protectorate of France. For this reason they were disparagingly described as “Frenchified.” In addition to seeing it as impossible to confront Haitian military superiority, they considered that the presence of a foreign power was essential to promote economic progress, since the country was too poor. The most renowned of the Frenchified, Buenaventura Báez, justified his position in favor of the protectorate or the annexation of the country with the principle of cosmopolitanism, that is, that the country was obliged to integrate into the currents of civilization and progress in force in the world. For Duarte, the ideas of the conservatives were nothing more than the expression of an anti-national vocation, and he used the neologism of “orcopolitans”, that is, citizens of hell, to describe the “cosmopolitans” (citizens of the world). Many years later he wrote to his friend, Félix María Del Monte, his thoughts on the matter:
Duarte maintained his intransigence against the conservative annexationists throughout his life. On one occasion he indicated:
Duarte was essentially an anti-colonial fighter, a precursor of Dominican anti-imperialism. Like most citizens he understood the merger had failed. Despite this truism, he affirmed, since the beginning to José María Serra, that he was an admirer of the Haitians, clearly establishing:
His attitude was contrary to other Creole sectors that advocated returning to Spain, France, Great Britain, and the United States. During the aforementioned conversation, Duarte highlighted how pertinent it was to create an independent republic, not only free from the Haitians, but from all foreign power:
A second aspect of Duarte's conceptions was his attachment to legality, since he sought to establish a regime based on the norms of institutions, and not on the accidental conveniences of individuals. His draft Constitution contains several sections dedicated to ratifying the obligation to obey the law, both for rulers and the governed. The significance of the centrality that the father of the country assigned to the legality of the state order was that it prevented any hint of dictatorship, the source of which is the violation of the law. Duarte aspired to the construction of a comprehensive democratic order, where the powers of powers and people were delimited, so that there was no impairment of the rights inherent to the dignity of the person. The north of the political system should be respect for freedoms, starting with beliefs. In the draft Constitution, the Catholic religion is enshrined as the “predominant religion in the State,” but without prejudice to “freedom of conscience and tolerance of religions”.