<P> Haiti's constitution also forbade white elites from owning land, and the major landowning families were forcibly deprived of their properties . Most emigrated to Cuba, Puerto Rico (these two being Spanish possessions at the time) or Gran Colombia, usually with the encouragement of Haitian officials, who acquired their lands . The Haitians, who associated the Roman Catholic Church with the French slave - masters who had exploited them before independence, confiscated all church property, deported all foreign clergy, and severed the ties of the remaining clergy to the Vatican . Santo Domingo's university, lacking both students and teachers had to close down, and thus the country suffered from a massive case of human capital flight . </P> <P> Although the occupation effectively eliminated colonial slavery and instated a constitution modeled after the United States Constitution throughout the island, several resolutions and written dispositions were expressly aimed at converting average Dominicans into second - class citizens: restrictions of movement, prohibition to run for public office, night curfews, inability to travel in groups, banning of civilian organizations, and the indefinite closure of the state university (on the alleged grounds of its being a subversive organization) all led to the creation of movements advocating a forceful separation from Haiti with no compromises . </P> <P> In the Dominican War of Independence Dominicans fought against the Haitian occupation . On February 27, 1844 the Dominicans, led by Juan Pablo Duarte along with Francisco del Rosario Sánchez and Matías Ramón Mella, gained freedom from Haitian rule, thus giving birth to the Dominican Republic, a self - sufficient nation established on the liberal ideals of a democratic government . </P> <P> After winning the war and ousting the Haitian occupying force from the country, Dominican nationalists had to fight against a series of attempted invasions at the command of Haitian "emperor" Faustin Soulouque from 1844 to 1856 . Haitian soldiers would make incessant attacks to try to regain control of the territory, but these efforts were to no avail as the Dominicans would go on to decisively win every battle henceforth . Since then, Dominican--Haitian relations have been unstable . </P>

When did haiti and the dominican republic split