Ten Years' War

The Ten Years' War (1868–1878), called in Spanish the Guerra de los Diez Años, the Great War, or the War of '68, was Cuba’s initial bid for independence from Spanish rule. It started on 10 October 1868, when Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, a sugar mill owner, and his supporters declared independence. This war marked the first of three Cuban liberation efforts against Spain; the others were the Little War (1879–1880) and the Cuban War of Independence (1895–1898). The last conflict’s final three months drew in the United States, escalating into the Spanish–American War.

**Background**

**Slavery** Cuba’s bourgeoisie, mostly native-born planters, pushed the Spanish Crown for major social and economic changes. The ban on the slave trade was poorly enforced, leading to an estimated 90,000 Africans brought to the island between 1856 and 1860. This happened despite a strong abolitionist movement in Cuba and rising costs for slave-owning planters in the east. New technology and farming methods made large numbers of slaves unnecessary and too expensive. The economic crisis of 1857 caused many businesses, including sugar plantations and refineries, to fail. The abolitionist cause grew stronger, favoring a gradual end to slavery with government compensation for slaveholders. Some planters also preferred hiring Chinese immigrants as indentured workers, expecting slavery to end. Before the 1870s, over 125,000 Chinese laborers were sent to Cuba. In May 1865, Cuban criollo elites demanded four things from the Spanish Parliament: tariff reform, political representation, equal justice for all Spaniards (including Cubans), and full enforcement of the slave trade ban.

**Colonial Policies** At that time, the Spanish Parliament was shifting, with reactionary, traditionalist politicians gaining influence and aiming to remove all liberal reforms. Military tribunals gained more power, and the colonial government imposed a six percent tax increase on Cuban planters and businesses. Political opposition and the press were silenced. Dissatisfaction spread widely across Cuba as ways to express it were blocked. This discontent hit hardest among the powerful planters and hacienda owners in Eastern Cuba. The failure of recent reform efforts, the end of the “Information Board,” and another economic crisis in 1866–67 worsened social tensions. The colonial administration kept making huge profits that were not reinvested in the island for its residents. Those funds went to military spending (44% of revenue), colonial government expenses (41%), and some to the Spanish colony of Fernando Po (12%). European Spaniards, called peninsulares, controlled much of the island’s wealth through their dominant role in Cuban trade. Meanwhile, Cuban-born people had no political rights or representation in Parliament. These grievances sparked the first serious independence movement, especially in the eastern part of the island.

**Revolutionary Conspiracy** In July 1867, the “Revolutionary Committee of Bayamo” was founded, led by Cuba’s richest plantation owner, Francisco Vicente Aguilera. The conspiracy quickly spread to Oriente’s larger towns, especially Manzanillo, where Carlos Manuel de Céspedes became the main figure of the 1868 uprising. Originally from Bayamo, Céspedes owned an estate and sugar mill called La Demajagua. The Spanish, aware of his strong anti-colonial stance, tried to force him to submit by imprisoning his son Oscar. Céspedes refused to negotiate, and Oscar was executed.

**History**

**Cry of Yara Uprising and the 10th of October Manifesto** Céspedes and his followers had planned the uprising for 14 October, but moved it up four days earlier after the Spanish discovered their plot. In the early morning of 10 October, Céspedes issued the cry of independence, the “10th of October Manifesto,” at La Demajagua, launching a full military revolt against Spanish rule in Cuba. He freed his slaves and asked them to join the fight. This date is now a Cuban national holiday called the Cry of Yara. Céspedes called on men of all races to join the struggle for freedom. He raised the new flag of an independent Cuba and rang the Bell of La Demajagua from the sugar mill steps to celebrate the proclamation, which he and 15 others signed. The manifesto listed Spain’s mistreatment of Cuba and stated the movement’s goals: to enjoy the benefits of freedom for which God created man; to practice brotherhood, tolerance, and justice, considering all men equal and not excluding even Spaniards who chose to live peacefully among them; to let the people participate in making laws and in distributing and spending contributions; to abolish slavery and compensate those deserving it; to seek freedom of assembly, freedom of the press, and honest governance; to honor the inalienable rights of men, the foundation of independence and a people’s greatness; and to throw off the Spanish yoke and establish a free, independent nation with a constitutional government created in an enlightened manner. In the first few days, the uprising nearly failed: Céspedes tried to take the nearby town of Yara on 11 October. Despite this early setback, the Cry of Yara gained support.