Drawing of the finale of Act I of The Pirates of Penzance, found in Wikipedia

In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue

When Christopher Columbus claimed the Spanish Island (Isla Española or Hispaniola), it was to have been their capital in the new world—hence the founding of the first university and the construction of the first Cathedral of the Americas in Santo Domingo. However, in less than 200 years, the little gold that had been found was gone. Spain’s interest turned to its newer, richer colonies in Central and South America. However, the Spanish crown maintained a tight monopoly on trade with Hispaniola.

By the 16th Century, Spanish ships were regularly traveling back and forth from the wealthy Central and South American Colonies and Spain, but they rarely stopping in Hispaniola. The Spanish Galleons returning home laden with gold and silver became prime targets of Spain’s enemies: the English, Dutch and French. These pirates, as they were considered by Spain, prowled the Caribbean waters looking for the returning ships.  While the pirates were waiting around the Caribbean, they of course needed supplies.

Meanwhile the Hispaniola residents had taken up farming. Since the efforts to enslave the local Indians had resulted in the deaths of the Indians and few slaves had been imported from Africa, the Spanish turned to cattle ranching (cows), which required relatively little labor. Lacking any other market for their cattle, the Spanish settlers began selling beef and leather to the passing ships, to the pirates. The Spanish authorities were, or course, strongly opposed to this trade. In a failed attempt to block this trade, the authorities made the decision that ultimately caused them to lose a third of the island: in 1605 they ordered all of the colonists to resettle to the areas around the towns of Santiago and the capital. This decision caused two serious consequences. First, it further impoverished the colony since the settlers could not move with all of their cattle. Secondly, the 100,000 cattle that were abandoned throughout the North became easy targets for the pirates–the pirates were now able to round-up cattle and no longer needed to pay for them.

Over time, these temporary raiding camps became permanent settlements. The Spanish authorities would hear of them and send soldiers to attack. The soldiers would succeed in destroying the settlement and chasing away the pirates and then would return to Santo Domingo. It was for one of these massacres of pirates that the river that currently forms the northern border with Haiti, the Massacre River, was named.

Eventually, the French pirates, established a presence on Tortuga island, off the north coast, that was too strong for the Spanish to dislodge. From this base, they colonized the north-western portion of the island. Finally, as part of the end of the War of the Grand Alliance, Spain acknowledged France’s presence on the western end of the island in the Treaty of Rsywick (1697). The border was formalized in the treaty of the Treaty of Aranjuez (1777).

By the end of the 18th Century, France had control of the Western portion of Hispaniola, while Spain controlled the eastern two-thirds. Spain continued its policy of neglecting Santo Domingo in favor of its more wealthy central and South American colonies. France, without easy access to gold, looking for other means to get rich, developed large plantations of sugar cane using slave labor imported from Africa. They were very successful with the plantations and developed the infamous, but very profitable triangular trade: manufactured goods were sent to Africa in exchange for slaves; slaves were sent to Haiti; and the sugar and rum produced with their labor was sold back to Europe.

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