 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
|
|
|||||
|
 |
 |
Biography of Carlos Manuel de CéspedesName: Carlos Manuel de CéspedesBirth Date: April 18, 1819 Death Date: 1874 Place of Birth: Bayamo, Oriente Province, Cuba Nationality: Cuban Gender: Male Occupations: revolutionary, lawyer Carlos Manuel de Céspedes The Cuban lawyer and revolutionary Carlos Manuel de Céspedes (1819-1874) initiated Cuba's Ten Years War of Independence against Spain in 1868, and the following year he became the first president of a provisional rebel government.On April 18, 1819, Carlos Manuel de Céspedes was born in Bayamo, Oriente Province, the son of a wealthy landowner. In 1834 the young Céspedes went to Havana to attend secondary school and later enrolled in the University of Havana. After a short trip to Bayamo to marry his cousin, Maria del Carmen Céspedes, he traveled to Spain. There he received a bachelor of law degree from the University of Barcelona and a doctorate of law from the University of Madrid.In Spain, Céspedes had his first taste of revolution. The Iberian nation was undergoing a period of political turmoil, and Céspedes joined the conspiratorial activities of army …showed first 150 words…
…showed last 150 words…finally led to Céspedes's removal as president. The remaining members of the House of Representatives called a meeting in October 1873 and refused to invite Céspedes. It soon became clear that the main objective of the assembly was Céspedes's removal. This was accomplished with little opposition and the president of the House, Salvador Cisneros Betancourt, was appointed new president of the republic.For the next several months Céspedes sought refuge from Spanish forces in San Lorenzo, a farm in Oriente Province, awaiting an opportunity to leave the island. But on Feb. 27, 1874, a Spanish force surrounded the farm, killing Céspedes after a brave but futile struggle. Further Reading Most of the literature on Céspedes is in Spanish. Valuable information on him in English is in Philip S. Foner, A History of Cuba and Its Relations with the United States (2 vols., 1962-1963). |