Day of beginning of the struggle for the independence of Cuba

On October 10, 1868 public-spirited lawyer Carlos Manuel de Céspedes on the farm Demajagua freed his slaves and put the weapons into the hands of Cubans. It initiated the revolution for national liberation of Cuba and the so-called Ten-year War, which was the first of three in the history of Cuban people in the second half of the 19th century.

The objectives of the fight for independence were the longing to get rid of the Spaniards, slavery and to achieve the realization of the national interests of the Cuban people. It was enshrined in the "Manifesto of October 10, 1868", the document redacted by Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, which now in the country is called the "father of the Cuban homeland".

The Ten-year War, though not achieved its goal, had a huge impact on the further history of Cuba. It was followed by the so-called Little War (1879-1880) and the War of Independence (1895-1898), organized by José Martí.