Santiago Basora was a Dominican revolutionary who was a leader in the Dominican War of Independence. Basora, a former slave himself, was determined that the new independent government would promise that slavery would never return to the Dominican Republic. He led a revolt in Monte Grande before being confronted by independence leaders Tomás Bobadilla and Manuel Jimenes, who ensured him that slavery was forever abolished.
Basora was the captain of the African battalion, a body of black soldiers, many of whom, like Basora, were former slaves. These forces, camped in Pajarito, (present-day Villa Duarte), was initially indecisive about the events of the time, since a large part of the population was committed to the patriots. On March 1, 1844, two days after the proclamation of Dominican independence by the Trinitarios at Puerta del Conde, Battalion Commander Esteban Pou revealed suspicion about an alleged rumor that the leading government would reimpose slavery. They devised a plan to rebel in response to this, but the captains had been extracted by Tomás Bobadilla and Manuel Jimenes, whom were commissioned by President Francisco del Rosario Sánchez to confront them. The rebels were assured that slavery would never return to the nation, and were issued a pardon by Bobadilla. Basara's company was made up of inhabitants of Monte Grande, once the life of freedom and the campaigns during the Dominican War of Independence had begun, that company and others from the same region were commanded by said officer, and provided valuable services throughout the Southern Line. Its elements became brave and decided to win in some actions. The African Battalion, as a psychological precautionary measure, was left in the Capital while the improvised columns left for the South under the command of Pedro Santana.[1]
The elements of that unit military personnel were touched by shyness and suspicion, fearful that the issue of racial prejudice and its consequences would be reborn. They were well treated, and regarding the new homeland they came to feel satisfied and not to distrust the spirit of equality prevailing among the Dominicans. But on the occasion of the dispute of predominance over the leadership of the government, in which the question of a protectorate under France was discussed. General Juan Pablo Duarte and his supporters won the support of the Battalion, who were taught that the return of slavery was inevitable with the impending French invasion. His military, during the days of confusion and lack of personal guarantee prevailing in the city after the coup d'état of June 9, 1844, demonstrated themselves as provocateurs and determined to commit any atrocity, walking the streets armed and with an air of insolence. The triumphant return of Santana commanding his army that had just been formed fighting in the fields of the South, put an end to the conceit of the African Battalion. The reception given to the army of patriots in the city had resonance abroad, as the first clear sign of the consolidation, considered doubtful, of the new Dominican homeland. A Spaniard from Puerto Rico thought the time was right to come to the country to claim nine of his slaves, who, according to his news, were in the country, and believed to have been part of the African Battalion. Stubborn and conceited, as soon as he set foot on land, seeming to be in colonial territory, he publicly dedicated himself to stating the purpose of his coming, which known to the soldiers of the battalion. Enraged, Basora and the soldiers, along with friends, threw themselves into the streets to hunt down the man. The Spaniard was able to avoid being caught by taking refuge in a family home, which was surrounded by his pursuers, and there he would have paid for his recklessness with his life. However, the intervention of General Santana prevented such an outcome. Accompanied by his General Staff, the Spaniard was taken to the fortress, from where he was secretly taken out to be put on board a ship. After this, Santana often looked for a pretext to detach Basora to the fields of the South; but days of truce followed one another, and he was brought to the plaza again, as less dangerous than leaving him quartered in that vast and sparsely populated region.[2]
When the imprisonment and trial of Minister José Joaquín Puello took place, the government took the necessary precautions, promptly sending infantry and cavalry troops to the city from Baní and El Seibo, and mobilizing the Civic Guard, formed in front of the arsenal to prevent artillery. The African Battalion, expressly rationed with few cartridges, was almost inhibited from action, while the entire city, with its traffic of armed people, seemed like a camp in full mobilization. They were active until 1849, when Basora was expelled from the country for having been loyal to President Jimenes.[3]
The actions of Santiago Basora represented one of the many chapters in the Dominican history regarding the issue of slavery.