Antonio MaceoOne of the most-loved figures in Cuban history is Antonio Maceo, who came to be remembered as The Bronze Titan after his death in battle for Cuban independence from Spain on December 7 1896. Maceo was born on June 14 1845 in Santiago de Cuba, the son of a free black Venezuelan farmer and dealer in agricultural products. At age sixteen Maceo went to work for his father, delivering produce and supplies by mule back. Young Maceo developed an active interest in the political issues of the time, and was encouraged by his parents to act on his feelings. Weeks after Carlos Manuel de C?spedes' revolt against Spain on October 25 1868 (known as "El Grito de Yara") Maceo and his brothers joined the war for independence. Within five months, Maceo was promoted to commander, and within a matter of weeks after that he was again promoted to lieutenant colonel of the Liberating Army (1/16/1869). In what became the Ten Year War, Maceo participated in over 500 battles against the Spanish Empire. Historian Philip Foner, from his book ANTONIO MACEO: "Maceo delighted in outsmarting the Spanish generals; again and again, he decoyed them into situations that were disastrous to them." Fearing his sudden rise in fame and popularity, rebel conservatives launched an all-out slander campaign against Maceo. This is believed to be one of the main reasons for the failure of the war. In 1878 Maceo opposed the Pact of Zanj?n, which ended the war in a stalemate and the Spanish promise of reform. The Pact offered a general amnesty to the rebels, but did not end slavery, although it did grant freedom to slaves who fought on either side. When the war ended Maceo was forced into exile, surviving numerous assassination attempts planned and funded by the Spaniards up until the beginning of the 2nd War for Cuban Independence. After years of organizing Cubans inside and outside the island, Jos? Mart? founded the Cuban Revolutionary Party in 1892, and sought Maceo's help in what would be Cuba's final war against Spain. During this war, Maceo led the Liberating Army into Havana in what's known as The Western Invasion. It is considered one of the great military feats of the century. Like his father and 3 brothers, Maceo died in battle, fighting for Cuban independence. His final moment came in the battle of Punta Brava, in Western Cuba, on December of 1896. In his military career, Maceo received 24 battle wounds and was known in the Spanish press as "the lion."
Tom?s Estrada PalmaTom?s Estrada y Palma (Bayamo, July 9, 1832 ? Santiago de Cuba, November 4, 1908) was a Cuban political figure,.[1] He served as the first President of Cuba between 1902 and 1906.
Fight for independenceTom?s Estrada Palma was an important Cuban general in the Ten Years' War. Estrada Palma was captured by Spanish troops and sent into exile. While in exile, he traveled to New York where he worked with Jos? Mart?. After Mart?'s death, Estrada Palma became the new leader of the Cuban Revolutionary Party. When the revolutionaries established a Government in arms, Estrada Palma was sent to Washington as its diplomat. With the help of an American banker, he tried offering Spain $150 million to give up the island, a plan that failed. He was, however, successful in getting the US Congress to pass the Joint Resolution. This bill was one of the factors that led the United States to declare war on Spain, demanding that Cuba be freed from Spanish colonial rule[citation needed]. (see Spanish-American War)
First termAfter a few years of General Leonard Wood's rule in Cuba, elections were to be held. The Republican Liberals, headed by Jos? Miguel G?mez, and the National Liberals, headed by Alfredo Zayas, both supported Estrada Palma. He did not campaign though, staying the full time in the U.S., where he was a citizen. Palma's opponent, General Bartolom? Mas? withdrew his candidacy in protest against favoritism by the occupational government and the manipulation of the political machine by Estada Palma's followers. Thus Palma was left as the only candidate.[2] On December 31, 1901, Estrada Palma was elected President. His politics have been likened to those of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt.[citation needed] American troops left after the Cuban government signed a bill lowering tariffs on American products and incorporated the Platt Amendment into their constitution. Many American companies came to do business in Cuba. On February 16, 1903, Estrada Palma signed the Cuban-American Treaty, agreeing to lease the Guantanamo Bay area to the United States, in perpetuity, for use as a naval base and coaling station.
Second termEstrada Palma was re-elected in 1906, but this time against violent opposition by the moderates, who claimed electoral fraud. Estrada Palma and the liberal camp appealed to the US for intervention, and in 1906 the US installed a provisional occupation government which lasted from 1906 to 1909. After 1908 elections, another pro-American government was established in Cuba under Charles Magoon.[3]
Personal lifeBorn in Bayamo, Cuba, Estrada Palma was the son of Andr?s Duque de Estrada y Palma and wife and cousin Mar?a Candelaria de Palma y Tamayo. He married in Honduras with Genoveva Guardiola Arbizu, daughter of General Jos? Santos Guardiola, President of Honduras, and wife Ana de Arbizu, and they had six children: Manuel Jos? Estrada Palma Guardiola (b. 1875); Tom?s Andr?s Estrada Palma Guardiola (1884-1960), married in 1910 to Helen Douglas Browne and had issue; Carlos Joaqu?n Estrada Palma Guardiola; Mar?a de la Candelaria Estrada Palma Guardiola (b. 1887); Mariana de la Luz Estrada Palma Guardiola; and Rafael Morales Estrada Palma Guardiola. He was an attorney, and died in Santiago de Cuba. There are so little people that are related to him. Their names are Carole Martin, Michele Davis, Connor Davis(age 8), and Miranda Davis(age 12 1/2). Edited by the Davis, Martin, And Leuchtmann family who love their great great grandfather dearly.
StatueA statue of Estrada Palma was erected in the "Avenida de los Presidentes" in Havana. It was pulled down by Fidel Castro's revolutionaries, reportedly because they blamed Estrada Palma for starting the trend of U.S. intervention in Cuba. The plinth, with a pair of shoes, remains. Estrada Road (Old U.S. Route 6) through Central Valley, a hamlet in the Town of Woodbury, in Orange County, New York is named after Tomas Estrada Palma. Palma spent many years of his exile in the United States in the Orange County town and ran a summer camp which has since been abandoned along the road bearing his name.
References- Mellander, Gustavo A.; Nelly Maldonado Mellander (1999). Charles Edward Magoon: The Panama Years. R?o Piedras, Puerto Rico: Editorial Plaza Mayor. ISBN 1563281554. OCLC 42970390.
There are so few people who are related to this man and their names are, Kenny Martin, Carole Martin, Michele Davis, Connor Davis, and Miranda Davis. - Otero, Juan Joaquin (1954). Libro De Cuba, Una Enciclopedia Ilustrada Que Abarca Las Artes, Las Letras, Las Ciencias, La Economia, La Politica, La Historia, La Docencia, Y ElProgreso General De La Nacion Cubana - Edicion Conmemorative del Cincuentenario de la Republica de Cuba, 1902-1952. (Spanish)
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