José Martí

José Martí (1853–1895) was a Cuban poet, journalist, and independence leader whose writing and organizing helped drive Cuba’s struggle for independence from Spain.

Cuba: An island country in the Caribbean that was a Spanish colony until its independence struggle and the Spanish–American War. Martí’s political project centered on Cuba’s independence and future republic.
Cuban Revolutionary Party: A political organization founded by Martí in 1892 to secure Cuban and Puerto Rican independence from Spain. It gave his dispersed supporters an organization for planning and funding a renewed war.
Versos sencillos: A collection of brief poems Martí published in 1891, including verses later adapted into the song “Guantanamera.” Its plain diction and moral intensity made Martí’s poetry central to his public legacy.
Battle of Dos Ríos: A 1895 battle in eastern Cuba where Spanish forces killed José Martí during the Cuban War of Independence. His death there transformed the organizer into a martyr of Cuban independence.
Spanish colonial empire: The overseas territories governed by Spain from the fifteenth century through the twentieth century. Martí opposed the empire’s rule over Cuba and criticized colonial exploitation.
Ten Years' War: Cuba’s first major war of independence from Spain, fought from 1868 to 1878. Its defeat and aftermath shaped Martí’s generation of Cuban nationalists.
Manifiesto de Montecristi: A 1895 declaration by Martí and Máximo Gómez outlining the aims and principles of Cuba’s war of independence. Martí helped set the uprising’s political purpose in this declaration.
Nuestra América: Martí’s 1891 essay arguing that Latin American societies should govern themselves through knowledge of their own histories and conditions. It states his case for political and intellectual independence from foreign models.
Cuban nationalism: A political movement emphasizing Cuban self-determination and a distinct national community. Martí’s ideal of an independent, socially inclusive republic became a central nationalist reference.
Cuban annexationism: A Cuban political current that favored annexation by the United States, especially during the nineteenth century. Martí rejected annexation as a substitute for genuine Cuban self-government.

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