May 20: Independence Day in Cuba

On the day of120th anniversary of the Republic of Cuba We recall some data of this transcendental historical event for Cubans.

HeMay 20, 1902 took power in Havanafirst elected president of the Republic of Cuba, DonTomas Estrada Palma. The ceremony took place atPalace of the Captains General. On this date the Cubans began to celebrate theIndependence Day.

The American militaryLeonard Wood He transferred powers to the president in an official act. For the first time, the lone star flag flew in Cuban public institutions, such as the Government Palace or the Morro de La Habana.

The US military began withdrawing its troops from the island. Estrada Palma approved asfirst measure of his government the payment to the members of the Liberation Army and the bonds of the debt contracted by the Republic in Arms. To carry out these measures, he obtained a loan from the North American company Speyer and in 1943 it was paid off.

The founding of the Republic of Cuba was an event welcomed with enthusiasm by the Cubans of the time. Every yearIt was celebrated on May 20 with joy throughout the entire island and particularly in the capital.

However, in 1959 history took a new turn for Cubans. The fervor for the celebrations of the traditional date began to be overshadowed by the designs of the socialist regime and thehistory of the republic to be silenced, omitted and distorted.

In the government ofFidel Castro His figure began to be idolized and contrasted with that of all the presidents the island had had, whom they called corrupt, servile and "puppets at the service of the United States."

Little by little the revolutionary discourse pondered the stories of the clandestine struggle against the dictatorship ofFulgencio Batista above the mambisa conquests and the economic and social achievements of the republic stage. They came to call this historical period "the Neocolony."

Tomas Estrada Palma, a well-known independentist, was considered by historians of the regime as a traitor to the interests of the Homeland for his role in thePlatt Amendment. His statue on Avenida de los Presidentes (or Calle G) in Vedado was destroyed and only his shoes remain of his figure.

Estrada Palma's "zapaticos" are a curious souvenir for Cubans. Many claim that they are the ghost of the republic, which remains very well planted in Havana, in the heart of the island, waiting for the anniversary to be celebrated again.Independence Day.