Since its discovery by Christopher Columbus in 1493, Cuba was considered the “Pearl” of the Spanish Empire–not only for its beauty, but also its sugar plantations. However, by the middle of the nineteenth century, the powerful Spanish empire was in decline and Cuba had grown increasingly restless. In 1866, the Madrid government organized the Junta de Informacion to respond to the protesting voices of Cuban born nationalists. Although the Spanish government claimed that it would recognize the Junta’s calls for equality and the emancipation of slaves, and equality in criminal codes for Cuba, the Spanish government instead responded by increasing taxes and banning all reformist meetings in Cuba.
The need for independence soon gave way to the need for revolution. So Carlos Manuel de Cespedes led the uprising of the 10th of October, 1868 in his own sugar mill in La Demajagua: The Ten-Year War started. Eventually he was joined by other revolutionary leaders who were active in the movement like the Dominican Maximo Gomez and Antonio Maceo y Grajales.
The rebel movement’s most serious problem was in its inability to organize around a single goal. Rebel Dominicacn leader Maximo Gomez and the Afro-Cuban rebel leader Antonio Maceo gained popularity among Cuban blacks, many Cuban white nationalists worried about the consequences of a racial rebellion and socio-economic revolution. By 1877, tensions among rebel leaders weakened the Cuban independence movement and the rebels had run out of material resources. In 1878, some rebel leaders and Spanish government signed the Pact of Zanjon which officially ended what became known as the Ten Years’ War. That pact did not grant any kind of independence to the island.
Although the Ten Years’ War failed, the events proved that the Cubans could organize against Spain. Beginning primarily as a poorly organized guerrilla war, the Ten Years’ War eventually engaged over 12,000 fighters and bred several powerful leaders. Clearly, the tensions and energies of the Ten Years’ War were not forgotten and laid the groundwork for future revolution.
The Pact of Zanjon was energetically rejected by Antonio Maceo who led the Protest of Baragua in front of Arsenio Martinex Campo, Captain Genral of Cuba. The mambises would resume the independence war on 24 of February, 1895.