The islands of the Caribbean have had been part of the history of the New World since the time of their discovery by Columbus. The island of Haiti served as the central base for the exploration and conquest of much of the Western Hemisphere and was also key in the development of slavery in the western hemisphere. The island was first sighted by Christopher Columbus in 1492, and the island played a role in Spanish history for as long as Spain has had important political and commercial interests in this Hemisphere. Haiti would become the dominant force by the nineteenth century, and the Dominican Republic would not emerge from under Haiti's shadow until 1844. The history of this region has been such that the development of democratic institutions has been difficult, and first Hispaniola and then Haiti and the Dominican Republic have been under the control for much of their history either of foreign governments or local despots. The Haitian revolution indicated the dissatisfaction of the slave population and would point to how that population would eventually react throughout the region to foreign domination and oppression.
La Isla Espa?ola, or Hispaniola, was found by Columbus when his fleet crossed the Windward Passage and arrived at night near the Haitian harbor what would become San Nicolas, named for the patron saint of children. The Indian guides assured Columbus that he would find gold on the great island, known to be the home of their ancestors. When the fleet encountered such problems as coral reefs and other delays, Columbus decided that God was sending a message that he should start a colony at a certain locale with members of the crew of the Santa Maria, and Spaniards volunteered in great numbers because signs of gold were then plentiful. The town so founded was Villa de la Navidad, or Town of the Nativity, the first attempt by Europeans to establish themselves in the New World:
Sixteen men from the flagship ...