1. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Dominicans, Diasporas and Nerds

2. The Greater Antilles Dominican Republic & Haiti  Hispaniola Hispaniola, Cuba, Jamaica, & Puerto Rico are the Greater Antilles

3. The “Discovery” of the New World 1492 – Christopher Columbus’ 1 st voyage to Hispanola Santa Maria shipwrecked and survivors settle on northern coast – La Navidad Taino – indigenous peoples of Hispanola Estimated pre-Columbian population of 100,000 to 2 million Estimated population in 1711 = 21,000 Of the Taino, Columbus wrote in a letter: “Many of the men I have seen have scars on their bodies, and when I made signs to them to find out how this happened, they indicated that people from other nearby islands come… to capture them... I believe that people from the mainland come here to take them as slaves. They ought to make good and skilled servants, for they repeat very quickly whatever we say to them… I could conquer the whole of them with 50 men, and govern them as I pleased.” 1493 – Columbus’ 2 nd Voyage; La Navidad destroyed; Columbus orders local Tainos to deliver tribute of gold every three months or suffer the amputation of their hands Local populations attempt to resist, some famously lead by female chief Anacaona after the death of her husband ( OW 244) 1496 – Columbus’s brother, Bartholomew, establishes Santo Domingo

4. Height of Spanish Empire

5. Encomienda at Casta Encomienda  subjugation of native chiefdoms, placing entire villages under“care” of Spaniards. Spaniards supposed to ensure natives worked for Spanish economy and to teach them to live like Christians Casta  system of racial hierarchy in which the purity of Spanish blood is linked with increased rights, power and privilege. Castas: 1.Peninsular – Spaniard born in Spain 2.Criollo – Spaniard born in colonies 3.Indio – descendant of the colonized 4.Negro – descendant of African slaves

6. 17 th Century Depiction of Castas

7. Decolonization 1795 – Spain cedes western Hispanola to France Population was up to 500,000 with 90% slaves 1795 – Toussaint L’Ouverture leads slave revolt against French 1801 – Toussaint captures Santo Domingo thus controlling all of Hispanola 1802 – Napoleon captures Toussaint 1804 – Rebel forces declare the Republic of Haiti 1808 – criollos of Santo Domingo overthrow French 1821 – Santo Domingo declares its independence as the Dominican Republic but then is quickly invaded by Haiti 1820s – early 1900s – DR resists control by Haiti, briefly becomes a Spanish colony again, suffers multiple coups and revolutions noun: the attempt to end colonization and establish independence

8. Dictatorship 1905 – the Roosevelt corollary of the Monroe Doctrine 1916-1924 – U.S. military occupation of the Dominican Republic 1930 – the Election of Rafael Trujillo Received U.S. support as an anti- communist leader 1934 – Trujillo recorded as richest man in DR Renames the capital city, highest mountain and multiple provinces after himself 1937 - Begins massacre of all Haitians living in DR 1960 – executes Mirabal sisters and attempts to assassinate president of Venezuela U.S. withdraws support of Trujillo 1961 – Trujillo assassinated noun: government of absolute rule exercised by a single individual

9. Diaspora 1963 – leftist forces attempt to create democratic government 1965 – U.S. occupies DR a 2 nd time First wave of Dominican diaspora as U.S. eases immigration restrictions 1966 – Joaquin Belaguer becomes president Had been one of Trujillo’s chief ministers/advisers 1966-1978 – 2 nd wave of Dominican immigration to U.S. due to high unemployment and political repression 1980s – underemployment and inflation continues to fuel immigration 2009 – 1.36 million people of Dominican descent in U.S. noun: the movement, migration, and scattering of people from their homeland

10. Reading Schedule By 4/2, chs 1-2, pgs 1-75 By 4/4, ch 3, pgs77-165 By 4/11, chs 4-5, pgs167-261 By 4/13, chs 6-end, pgs 263-end For your reference: http://www.annotated-oscar-wao.com/index.html