<Li> Fuente del Rodeo </Li> <Li> Cabeza de Las Marías </Li> <P> The Dominican Independence War gave the Dominican Republic autonomy from Haiti on February 27, 1844 . Before the war, the island of Hispaniola had been united under the Haitian government for a period of 22 years when the newly independent nation, previously known as the Captaincy General of Santo Domingo, was unified with Haiti in 1822 . The criollo class within the country overthrew the Spanish crown in 1821 before unifying with Haiti a year later . </P> <P> In 1844, the members of La Trinitaria chose El Conde, the prominent "Gate of the Count" in the old city walls, as the rallying point for their insurrection against the Haitian government . On the morning of 24 February 1844, El Conde rang with the shots of the plotters, who had emerged from their secret meetings to openly challenge the Haitians . Their efforts were successful, and for the next ten years, Dominican military strongmen fought to preserve their country's independence from their Haitian neighbors . </P>

When did dominican republic gain independence from haiti