Military Government of Santo Domingo

Military Government of Santo Domingo
Gobierno Militar de Santo Domingo (Spanish)
Occupied territory of the United States
1916–1924
Flag of Territorio de Santo Domingo

Santo Domingo (To the Right)
Anthem
Salve, Columbia
"Hail, Columbia"
CapitalSanto Domingo
DemonymDominican
Government
 • TypeMilitary government
 • MottoE Pluribus Unum
"Out of Many, One"
Military Governor 
• 1916-1917 (First)
Harry Shepard Knapp
• 1917-1924 (Last)
Edwin Anderson Jr
Historical eraModern Era
• Established
13 May 1916
• U.S. withdrawal
18 September 1924
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Second Dominican Republic
Third Dominican Republic

The Military Government of Santo Domingo (Spanish: Gobierno Militar de Santo Domingo) was a provisional military government established during the American occupation of the Dominican Republic that lasted from May 13, 1916 to September 18, 1924. The United States aimed to force the Dominicans to repay their large debts to European creditors, whose governments threatened military intervention. On May 13, 1916,[1] Rear Admiral William B. Caperton forced the Dominican Republic's Secretary of War Desiderio Arias, who had seized power from President Juan Isidro Jimenes Pereyra, to leave Santo Domingo by threatening the city with naval bombardment.[1] The Marines landed three days later and established effective control of the country within two months. Three major roads were built, largely for military purposes, connecting for the first time the capital with Santiago in the Cibao, Azua in the west, and San Pedro de Macorís in the east; the system of forced labor used by the Americans in Haiti was absent in the Dominican Republic.[2]

  1. ^ a b "USA Dominican Republic Resistance 1917–1921". The Dupuy Institute. December 16, 2000. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
  2. ^ Hispanic American Report 14, no. 7 (Sept. 1961), p. 608.