Pact of Zanjón facts for kids
The Pact of Zanjón was an important agreement that ended a big war in Cuba. This war, called the Ten Years' War, was fought by Cubans who wanted to be free from Spain. It lasted from 1868 to 1878.
On February 10, 1878, a group of Cuban rebels met in a village called Zanjón in Camagüey Province. There, they signed a document given to them by the Spanish general, Arsenio Martínez Campos. He had come to Cuba two years earlier and wanted to make peace. The war ended not because one side won, but because both sides were very tired of fighting.
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Why Some Cubans Kept Fighting
Not everyone was happy with the Pact of Zanjón. A small group of Cuban fighters in eastern Cuba, led by Lt. General Antonio Maceo Grajales, kept fighting. They were upset because the agreement did not make Cuba fully independent. It also did not end slavery right away.
Maceo and his group tried to explain their concerns at a meeting on March 15. This meeting is known as the Protest of Baraguá. However, they were not successful. Maceo later left Cuba for Jamaica in May. The fighting officially stopped on May 28, 1878. Even though he left, Maceo became famous around the world for his strong stand against slavery.
What the Pact Promised
The Pact of Zanjón offered several things:
- Equal Status: Cuba would have the same rights as Puerto Rico under Spanish rule. This included having some representatives in the Spanish parliament.
- Amnesty: All political prisoners from 1868 onwards were set free. This included Spanish soldiers who had left their army. However, rebel leaders who were freed had to leave Cuba.
- Freedom to Leave: Everyone was given the right to leave Cuba if they wanted to.
- Important Figures Freed: Famous Cubans like José Martí, Juan Gualberto Gomez, and Antonio Maceo were released. Calixto Garcia was freed from prison in Spain. He then went to Paris to raise money for Cuba's next fight for freedom.
Ending Slavery in Cuba
The Pact also promised freedom for slaves and Chinese immigrants who had fought in the war. It said that slavery in Cuba would eventually end in 1888. However, things changed, and slavery actually ended earlier, in October 1886.
New Freedoms and Organizations
The agreement also promised more freedom for newspapers and the right for people to gather together. In the years that followed, many new groups were formed. These included political groups, social clubs, and worker unions. The Partido Liberal Automista, a political party that wanted changes but not full independence, grew bigger. New organizations for Black Cubans were also created to work for civil rights.
A Short-Lived Peace
The peace created by the Pact of Zanjón did not last long. It was more like a short break in the fighting than a true peace treaty. The rebellion started again briefly in August 1879. Spain did not keep most of its promises. A small-scale war continued until the start of the Cuban War of Independence in 1895.
See also
In Spanish: Paz de Zanjón para niños
