Heading: (Cuba)
Author: Cespedes, Carlos Manuel de
Title: Declaracion del Gobierno de la Republica de Cuba Abogando por la Abolicion de la Esclavitud
Place Published: [Cuba?]
Publisher:
Date Published: August 10, 1871
Description:

Printed broadside. Signed in ink by Manuel de Cespedes as President of the Republic of Cuba; also signed by the putative Secretary of State, and also the Minister of the Exterior, with red paper seal and a blindstamped seal. 57x37.8 cm (22½x14¾”).

Rare broadside declaring the abolition of slavery in Cuba by the leader of the first (of three) wars for Cuban independence, called the Ten Years‘ War. The broadside, evidently distributed by the revolutionaries to a large number of municipalities in Cuba (this copy is numbered 121 in ink), was a follow-up to the original declaration of 1868, made at the start of the insurrection. Those seeking independence for Cuba felt that Cuba could not be free from Spain if slavery itself was not abolished. Moreover, the slaves were to be conscripted into the war efforts. The Proclamations of the Abolition of Slavery continued to be made in various regions of Cuba through 1871. Carlos Manuel de Céspedes del Castillo (1819-1874) was a Cuban revolutionary hero and First President of Cuba in Arms in 1868. Cespedes, who was a plantation owner in Cuba, freed his slaves and made the declaration of Cuban independence in 1868. We can find no examples of the broadside listed in OCLC/WorldCat.

Some toning to paper, old folds and a few creases, some edge wear with small tears and chips, a few tape repairs; several ink smudges affecting a few words; very good overall.