Jose Marti

[codyvo]

I don't know much about him except that he fought for Cuban independance in the late 1800's. I also know that he was one of the largest influences in the ideologies of the Cuban revolutionaries, especially Fidel. So I want to know more about him, what he fought for specifically, other than independance, and other specifics about him, also, would he be considered a communist?

[Colombia]

No way he could be considered communist. All he wanted was for Cubans to run the government. Not the Spaniards.

[Bugalu Shrimp]

He was a wonderful poet.

"Dos patria's tengo yo, Cuba y la noche."

[resisting arrest with violence]

Sadly Martí equated socialism with slavery. I don't think he knew much about it.

"All the power which would be gradually acquired by the caste of public officials, bound by their need to remain in a priviledged and lucrative position , would be gradually lost by the people, who lack the same reasons for complicity in hopes and profits to confront the public officials fettered together by their common interests. As all public needs would eventually be fullfilled by the State, the officials would then acquire the enormous influence which by nature falls upon those who distribute any right or benefit.The man who now wants the State to take care of him so as not to have to take care of himself would have to work in the proportion, for the time and in the occupation that te State would see fit to assign to him, as the State, on whom all the duties would befall, would be endowed with all the necessary powers to implement the means to fullfill the work involved. From being its own servant , man would then become a slave of the State. From being a slave of capitalists, as they are now called, he would become a slave of the public officials. A slave is a man wo works for another who holds control of him, and in that socialist system the community would dominate man, who would then render all his work to the community. And as public officials are human beings and, therefore, abusive, proud and ambitious, and would wield great power in that organization, abetted by all those who would take advantage or would hope to take advantage of the abuses, and by those vile forces that always prowl among the oppressed, the terror, prestige or cunning of those who rule, this system of official distribution of common labor would in a short time suffer from the grief, violence, thefts and distortions that the spirit of individuality , the austerity and the daring of genius and the williness of vice soon and fatally create in any human organization ... Autocracy will abuse the common people, exhausted and hard working. Regrettably, generalized slavery will be the result."


Castro liked him because Martí was an extreme anti-imperialist and was very suspicious of the United States. Martí lived in the U.S. for a while and saw little hungry children living in the streets and African-Americans being oppressed.

Castro always quotes this letter (the last one Martí ever wrote, it lay unfinished when he killed in battle)

Dos Rios Camp, May 18, 1895

Mr Manuel Mercado

My dearest brother: Now I can write, now I can tell you how tenderly and gratefully and respectfully I love you and that home which I consider my pride and responsibility. I am in daily danger of giving my life for my country and duty for I understand that duty and have the courage to carry it out-the duty of preventing the United States from spreading through the Antilles as Cuba gains its independence, and from empowering with that additional strength our lands of America. All I have done so far, and all I will do, is for this purpose. I have had to work quietly and somewhat indirectly, because to achieve certain objectives, they must be kept under cover; to proclaim them for what they are would raise such difficulties that the objectives could not be attained.

The same general and lesser duties of these nations-nations such as yours and mine that are most vitally concerned with preventing the opening in Cuba(by annexation on the part of the imperialist from there and the Spaniards) of the road that is to be closed, and is being closed with our blood, annexing our American nations to be brutal and turbulent North which despises them-prevented their apparent adherence and obvious assistance to this sacrifice made for their immediate benefit.

I have lived in the monster and I know its entrails; my sling is David's. At this very moment-well, some days ago-amid the cheers of victory with which the Cuban saluted our free departure from the mountains where the six men of our expedition walked for fourteen days, a correspondent from the Herald, who tore me out the hammock in my hut, told me about the annexationist movement. He claimed it was less to be feared because of the unrealistic approach of its aspirants, undisciplined or uncreative men of a legalistic turn of mind, who in the comfortable disguise of their complacency or their submission to Spain, half-heartedly ask it for Cuba's autonomy. They are satisfied merely that there be a master- Yankee or Spanish- to support them or reward their services as go-betweens with positions of power, enabling them to scorn the hardworking masses-the country's half-breeds, skilled and pathetic, the intelligent and creative hordes of Negroes and white men...

http://66.218.71.225/search/cache?p=jose+m...&icp=1&.intl=us (http://66.218.71.225/search/cache?p=jose+marti+my+sling+is+david&ei=UTF-8&fl=0&u=www.cubaminrex.cu/josemarti/jose%2520marti%2520vers%2520ingles/marti-political%2520testament-ing.htm&w=jose+marti+sling+david&d=2BC67EF5FF&icp=1&.intl=us)