Jose Marti was a freedom fighter, a poet, and a hero to the Cuban people. Besides that, he was a professor and a thinker about politics. He had a dream that Cuba would be free. His poems, essays, letters, and novels were all ways he tried to get the word out about Cuba’s right to be free. His essay, “Our America,” shows that he thinks each Latin American country should have its own government based on its culture and needs. As a major figure in the Spanish American literary movement, he wrote a lot about freedom and democracy. These ideas were at the center of most of his works. As a journalist, he used to write for papers like “El Diablo Cojuelo” and “La Patria Libre,” which gave him a chance to say what he thought about Cuba’s politics. After a short time as a professor at Universidad Nacional, he was arrested for his part in the Little War in Cuba and put in jail. After being sent into exile in Spain, he moved to New York and worked as a diplomat for many Latin American countries. As part of his job, he spent a lot of time in different cities, which helped him figure out his plan for Cuban independence. This important figure in Cuba’s fight for independence from Spain died in a battle with Spanish troops.
Early years and childhood
Jose Marti was born in Havana, Cuba. He was the oldest of his parent’s eight children. His father, Mariano Marti Navarro, was a prison guard, and his mother, Leonor Perez Cabrera, was a nurse. He went to a public elementary school in Santa Clara when he was young.
In 1865, he started going to the Escula de Instruccion Primaria Superior Municipal de Varones. He went to school at the Instituto de Segunda Ensananza the following year.
In 1867, to improve his drawing skills, he went to the Professional School for Painting and Sculpture of Havana. He went to the school of San Pablo for his second and third years of college.
When he was very young, he started putting his editorials and poems in a few local newspapers. He wrote things that showed his support for The Ten Years’ War, which got him into trouble with the law.
He was arrested and charged with treason and sedition. Later, he was given a six-year sentence for hard work. After his parents stepped in, his sentence was cut, but he was sent to Spain as punishment.
During his time in Spain, he graduated from law school. At that time, his writing showed how he felt about how Cuba was getting worse. He moved to Mexico in 1875.
Jose Marti’s Career
In order to make a living in Mexico, he started publishing his poems and took on jobs as a translator. He also wrote a play called “Amor con Amor se Paga” during this time. This play was put on in Mexico’s main theater.
He did a lot to help Cuba get its freedom. There, a few newspapers started to print his articles, and he got involved in the arts scene in Mexico City.
He went back to Cuba in 1877 and stayed there for a month. After that, he moved to Guatemala and taught at the Universidad Nacional, where he taught literature, history, and philosophy. He quit his job to protest the unfair firing of one of his Cuban coworkers.
When he went back to Cuba in 1878, politics made it hard for him to practice law. So, he got a job as a teacher. During this time, his name came up in a plot to get rid of the Spanish government in Cuba. Because of this, he was sent to Spain a second time.
In 1881, he moved from Spain to New York, where he worked as a consul for Uruguay, Paraguay, and Argentina. He had to go to different cities as part of his job. He took advantage of this chance to talk to Cubans who were living in the US as refugees. At that time, his writings were printed in a number of newspapers in New York and Latin American countries.
The newspaper “La Nacion” in Buenos Aires also used to regularly print his column. His writings showed how he thought about social and political issues from an analytical point of view. During this time, he wrote the essay “Nuestra América,” in which he talked about how Latin American countries should be joined together.
In 1889, he published “La Edad de Oro,” a magazine for children that told them about brave people in the country’s political field. He was even a delegate for the Cuban Revolutionary Party in 1892.
He joined forces with nationalist generals Maximo Gomez and Antonio Maceo to fight for Cuba’s independence during the Ten Years’ War. He also got money from Cubans who had left the country and from different political groups.
As part of his work in the freedom movement, he started fighting against Spanish troops when he got to Cuba in 1895. He did this with the help of his supporters. But it was not his fault that he couldn’t keep fighting.
Personal History and Legacies
When he was in Mexico, he met Carmen Zayas. In the year 1777, they got married. The name of their son was Jose. At the Battle of Dos Rios against Spain, he died.
His political actions and writings helped start revolutions in many different parts of the world. His work had a big effect on the activities of the Cuban revolution led by Fidel Castro.
Jose Marti International Airport is the main airport in Havana. It is named after him to honor his memory. Aside from that, Cuba still celebrates his birthday every year, and people all over the country use postage stamps with his picture on them.
Estimated Net worth
José is one of the wealthiest journalists and is on the list of the most well-known journalists. Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider all say that José Mart has a net worth of about $1.5 million.
Trivia
When he was very young, this Cuban freedom fighter mourned the death of Abraham Lincoln with a group of his friends. Lincoln’s work to end slavery inspired him to set up Cuba as a democracy where slavery would not be allowed.