Dominican Republic and Haiti: Country Studies

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Dominican Republic: The Society and Its Environment
remained around Santiago, Puerto Plata, and Samana. They
eventually assimilated, although English is still widely used in
the region of Samana. Sephardic Jews arrived from Curacao in
the late eighteenth century and in greater numbers following
Dominican independence from Haiti in 1844. They assimilated
rapidly; both their economic assets and their white ancestry
made them desirable additions from the point of view of both
the elite and the criollos. Canary Islanders arrived during the
late colonial period as well, in response to the improved
Dominican economic conditions in the 1880s. Spaniards settled
in the country during the period of renewed Spanish occupation
(1861-65); a number of Spanish soldiers remained in
the Dominican Republic after the War of Restoration. Germans
also established themselves in the republic, principally in
Puerto Plata. Some arrived before independence, but they
mainly came after the Spanish occupation; they were involved
primarily in the tobacco trade.
The expansion of the sugar industry in the late nineteenth
century drew immigrants from every social stratum. Cubans
and Puerto Ricans, who began arriving in the 1870s, aided in
the evolution of the sugar industry as well as the country's intellectual
development. In addition, the sugar industry attracted
significant numbers of laborers from the British, Dutch, and
Danish islands of the Caribbean. These immigrants also
worked in railroad construction and on the docks. Initial reaction
to their presence was negative, but their educational background
(which was superior to that of most of the rural
populace), their ability to speak English (which gave them an
advantage in dealing with North American plantation owners)
and their industriousness eventually won them a measure of
acceptance. They founded Protestant churches, Masonic
lodges, mutual aid societies, and a variety of other cultural
organizations. Their descendants have enjoyed a considerable
measure of upward mobility through education and religion.
They are well represented in the technical trades (especially
those associated with the sugar industry) and on professional
baseball teams.
Arabs—Lebanese and lesser numbers of Palestinians and
Syrians—first arrived in the late nineteenth century and prospered.
Their assimilation was slower, however, and many continued
for a long time to maintain contacts with relatives in the
Middle East. Italians, as well as some South American immigrants,
also arrived during this period and assimilated rapidly.
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