it all are greatly confused, and several nations were involved, including Spain, the United States, France, England, Mexico, and Colombia.  The slavery question was involved, as was the question of the transfer of the island to some Power other than Spain.  Independence was the aim of some, though probably no very great number.  Practically all of Cuba’s later experiences have their roots in this period.  During these ten years, the issue between Cubans who sought a larger national and economic life, and the Spanish element that insisted upon the continuance of Spanish absolutism, had its definite beginning, to remain a cause of almost constant friction for three-quarters of a century.  The Spanish Constitution of 1812, abrogated in 1814, was again proclaimed in 1820, and again abrogated in 1823.  The effort of Captain-General Vives, acting under orders from Ferdinand VII, to restore absolutism encountered both vigorous opposition and strong support.  Secret societies were organized, whose exact purposes do not appear to be well known.  Some have asserted that it was a Masonic movement, while others have held that the organizations were more in the nature of the Carbonari.  One of them, called the Soles de Bolivar, in some way gave its name to the immediate activities.  It was charged with having planned a rebellion against the government, but the plans were discovered and the leaders were arrested.  The movement appears to have been widespread, with its headquarters in Matanzas.  An uprising was planned to take place on August 16, 1823, but on that day Jose Francisco Lemus, the leader, and a number of his associates were arrested and imprisoned.  Among them was Jose Maria Heredia, the Cuban poet, who was, for this offence, condemned, in 1824, to perpetual exile for the crime of treason.

Others engaged in the conspiracy fled the country.  Some were officially deported.  But the punishments imposed on these people served to excite the animosity of many more, and a period of agitation followed, marked by occasional outbreaks and rioting.  To meet the situation, an army intended to be employed in reconquering some of the colonies that had already declared and established their independence, was retained on the island.  In 1825, a royal decree conferred on the Spanish Governor in Cuba a power practically absolute.  This excited still further the anger of the Cuban element and led to other manifestations of discontent.  There was a combination of political agitation with revolutionary demonstrations.  In 1826, there was a local uprising in Puerto Principe, directed more particularly against the Spanish garrison, whose conduct was regarded as highly offensive.  A year or two later, Cuban exiles in Mexico and Colombia, with support from the people of those countries, organized a secret society known as the “Black Eagle,” having for its purpose a Cuban revolution.  Its headquarters were in Mexico, and its activities were fruitless.  Many were arrested and tried and sentenced