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France and Spain had a disagreement in the 17th century about the control of Hispaniola, an island positioned near Cuba in the Caribbean. Spain recognized French control over the western half of the island, which became the independent country of Haiti in 1804 after the first successful slave revolt in the Western Hemisphere.
In late 1821, the Dominican people declared independence from Spain and became the Republic of Spanish Haiti. Less than three months later, they came under the control of, at the time, wealthier and more-densely populated western side of the island. Dominica suffered under Haitian rule, as the debts imposed on Haiti by France had a negative impact on the economy of the entire island.
The Haitians imposed a language law which stated you had to speak French instead of Spanish. The army closed the best University in the region, Universidad Santo Tomás de Aquino. They also closed all the church land and imposed military service. Many Dominicans saw this as very cruel and developed a hatred against the Haitians.
In 1838, a resistance movement was founded with three main cells. When they were tipped off that the Haitian government found out about their activities in 1844, they stormed the fortress of Puerta del Conde in the major city of Santo Domingo. This was the turning point for the war, where the Dominican Republic gained its independence from Haiti.
Over the course of these 72 years, especially over the decade directly after the Dominican War of Independence, the Dominican Republic suffered several invasions from Haiti and vice versa. They additionally experienced a short spell of Spanish control once again, before successfully removing the Spanish in the Dominican War of Restoration.
While the US was fighting a civil war, unable to enforce the Monroe Doctrine, a statement disapproving of European colonization, Spain was approached by General Santana, who was an usurper facing a Haitian invasion, about annexing the Dominican Republic. Spain agreed, however immediate resistance from Dominican rebels proved successful, and just two years later, Spain gave it up.
The Parsley Massacre was a mass killing of many Haitians who were living in the northwestern frontier of of the Dominican Republic. Estimates say that 20,000 people were killed in this horrific event. This took place October 2, 1937.
The Parsley Massacre gets its name from how Haitians and Dominicans pronounce the world "parsley", stemming from the Pre-Independence separation of Hispaniola. Soldiers would hold up a sprig of parsley and ask people to pronounce it. If they rolled the "r", in line with Spanish pronunciation, they would be spared. Otherwise, they would be identified as a Haitian-Creole speaker and would be killed.
It's October 2, 1937. Francisco Pierre, a normal boy in his village, is told by a neighbor to run to Haiti, as he says there are people being killed in the village. He fills a calabash with rice, waits for his grandma to get the donkey, and begins to run. As he's running, he sees bodies of his fellow Haitians on the ground. Francisco makes it to Haiti safely, and has only returned to the Dominican Republic one time since.
https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2017/10/07/555871670/80-years-on-dominicans-and-haitians-revisit-painful-memories-of-parsley-massacre
With all the damage that these two countries have caused each other it is no surprise that tensions are still very high between the countries. There has been very little progress to having better relations with each other and many problems are still present. Haiti is one of the poorest nations in the world and many citizens are seeking a fresh start in Dominican Republic.
Lots of Haitians are migrating to the DR because of work opportunities and better living conditions. One of the main factors that made the migration acceleration was the 2010 Haitian earthquake. It decimated the economy and people tried to flee the effects. The DR sent in lots of aid and help to reduce the effects. The majority of the jobs that Haitians look for in the DR are construction jobs.
One of biggest things in common that Haitians have in common with Dominicans is their love for the sport of baseball. Baseball is one of the ways that Haiti and the Dominican Republic are mending their relationship. The Dominican Republic's Baseball Federation (FEDOBE) are sending coaches and referees, and are also pledging to help promote Haitian baseball on a national stage.