Santo Domingo—Historian Juan Daniel Balcácer explained that the U.S. occupation of 1916 was the product of political instability and ignorance of the Dominican Constitution, which gave way to the end of the period known in the country’s history as the Second Republic.
The statement was made during the XIV Dominican Congress of History, held by the Dominican National Section of the Pan-American Institute of Geography and History (PAIGH) on July 12, 1924, in commemoration of the first centenary of the departure of U.S. troops from the country.
In the dissertation, which historian José Chez Checo read because Balcácer could not attend, he indicated that the Americans broke into Santo Domingo under the pretext that the local authorities had repeatedly violated the third article of the convention of February 8, 1907, as well as that the country needed peace. Financial order and discipline
As expected, according to the historian, the Dominican people resisted the invasion and refused to lose their sovereignty. However, this did not prevent the military occupation from becoming an even more cruel and ruthless dictatorship than the one imposed by Ulises Heureaux (Lilís).
Later, he recounted how, during the eight years of occupation, there was armed resistance in different areas of the country, and various patriotic groups also emerged, including the Dominican Nationalist Commission, chaired by Dr. Francisco Henríquez y Carvajal, who promised to take charge of recovering the national territory.
However, after several failed negotiations, it was not until Francisco J. Peynado traveled to the United States on September 23, 1922, and the Hughes-Peynado Plan was finalized, ending U.S. intervention.
The congress, attended by various national and international historians, was held with the main objective of contributing to a better understanding of the military occupation as a significant historical event.
In this sense, Cenia Correa, director of geography at the National Geographic Institute, highlighted the importance of holding this type of conference since, in her opinion, history teaching in schools is deficient.