War of 1912 facts for kids
Quick facts for kids War of 1912 |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Banana Wars | |||||||
|
|||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Cuba United States |
Cuban Partido Independiente de Color |
||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
José Miguel Gómez Lincoln Karmany |
Evaristo Estenoz † Pedro Ivonnet † |
||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | 3,000–6,000 killed | ||||||
The War of 1912 was a series of protests and uprisings in Cuba during 1912. It was also known as the "Armed Uprising of the Independents of Color" (or Levantamiento Armado de los Independientes de Color in Spanish). This conflict involved Afro-Cuban rebels fighting against the Cuban armed forces.
The fighting mostly happened in the eastern part of Cuba, where many Afro-Cubans lived and worked. After several weeks of battles, the rebellion was stopped. Many Afro-Cubans were killed by the Cuban National Army, led by General Jose de Jesus Monteagudo. The United States military also got involved to protect American businesses in Cuba.
The main leaders of the Afro-Cuban rebels, Evaristo Estenoz and Pedro Ivonnet, were killed. Their political group, the Independent Party of Color, was officially ended. Sadly, between 3,000 and 6,000 people lost their lives during this rebellion.
Contents
Why the War of 1912 Happened
Life for Afro-Cubans in Cuba
Life was often difficult for black people in Cuba, especially for those who worked in the sugarcane industry. In 1895, during Cuba's fight for independence from Spain, a leader named Evaristo Estenoz started a movement to make things better for them.
Many veterans of the independence war, especially the officers, formed the Independent Party of Color in 1908. This party quickly gained support from many Afro-Cubans. They were unhappy with the Cuban President, José Miguel Gómez.
President Gómez ordered the party to be shut down. He used a law called the Morúa law, which said that political parties could not be based on race. However, by 1912, the Independent Party of Color had secretly reorganized and was ready to start another uprising.
US Marines Arrive in Cuba
In early 1912, the United States government sent about 688 US Marines to the Guantanamo Naval Base in Cuba. They did this because they knew Estenoz and his followers were planning a rebellion. Even though the rebels had light weapons, there were hundreds of them, mostly farmers.
Key Events of the War
The Uprising Begins
On May 20, 1912, Estenoz and his followers began to fight the Cuban Army. Most of the fighting happened in Oriente Province, where many Afro-Cubans lived. There were also some smaller fights in the western part of the island.
At first, the rebels did well against the Cuban forces, which included soldiers and local groups called militia. On May 23, President Gómez asked U.S. President William H. Taft for help. President Taft sent more Marines.
The first group of U.S. Marine reinforcements arrived on May 28. They landed at Guantanamo Bay to join other troops. Colonel Lincoln Karmany was in charge of this new force, which was called the 1st Provisional Regiment of Marines. It had 32 officers and 777 enlisted men.
More US Forces Arrive
Another group of Marines, the 2nd Provisional Regiment, also came to Cuba. This group had 1,292 officers and men, led by Colonel James E. Mahoney. Most of them arrived at Guantanamo Bay on June 7. One part of this group landed in Havana on June 10.
The USS Mississippi also sent a group of Marines to El Cuero on June 19. In total, the American forces in Cuba reached 2,789 officers and men. They were organized into the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade. About half of them were sent to take control of towns and cities in eastern Cuba. The rest stayed at the naval base.
By June, Estenoz began to lose control of the areas his rebels held. The Cuban military was breaking up large groups of rebels and other people. Rebel forces had once been at least 3,000 men strong. By June, it was estimated that about 1,800 were still alive, though some reports say 6,000 rebels died in total.
Ending the Rebellion
The U.S. Marines were given the job of protecting American-owned sugarcane plantations and their buildings. They also protected copper mines, railroads, and trains. The Afro-Cubans only attacked the Marines once, at El Cuero. The Marines pushed them back, and no one was hurt on either side.
President Gómez offered to forgive any rebels who surrendered by June 22. Most of the rebels gave up, but Estenoz continued to fight with a few hundred men. By the end of June, most rebels had gone back to their homes. Estenoz was killed by government forces on June 27.
After Estenoz died, the rebel army broke into smaller groups. These groups were soon defeated. The most important remaining group was led by Pedro Ivonnet. He took his forces into the mountains to fight a guerrilla war, but he was forced out by mid-July. Ivonnet surrendered on July 18, 1912, but he was also killed.
What Happened After
After Ivonnet surrendered, President Gómez announced that the American Marines were no longer needed. They began to leave Cuba, first going back to the naval base at Guantanamo, and then returning to the United States. The last Marines left Cuba on August 2.
The Afro-Cubans suffered greatly, with between 3,000 and 6,000 people killed, including both fighters and non-fighters. The rebellion had a very bad outcome for them. The Independent Party of Color was officially ended, and the difficult conditions for Afro-Cubans in Cuba did not change.
Additional Sources
- Aline Helg, Our Rightful Share: The Afro-Cuban Struggle for Equality, 1886–1912 ( University of North Carolina Press, 1995)
- Pérez Louis A., "Politics, Peasants, and People of Color: The 1912 “Race War” in Cuba Reconsidered", Hispanic American Historical Review, 66 (3),1986, 509–539. doi: https://doi.org/10.1215/00182168-66.3.509
See also
In Spanish: Levantamiento Armado de los Independientes de Color para niños
