The Samaná Americans: African Americans in the Dominican Republic

The Samaná Americans (Americanos de Samaná) are descendants of African American freed people who, beginning in 1824, immigrated to the Samaná Peninsula in Hispaniola—then under Haitian administration—benefiting from the favorable pro-African immigration policy of president Jean Pierre Boyer. They constitute the most sizable group of native English speakers in the Dominican Republic. Aware of its distinctive heritage, the community, whose singular culture distinguishes them from the rest of Dominicans, refers to itself as Samaná Americans, and is referred to by fellow Dominicans as "los americanos de Samaná." Over 80 percent of Samaná's population is of African American descent. It is estimated that there are over one half million Dominicans who are descendants of the African-American settlers.  Eight thousand speak the English of their ancestors.

These African Americans included ship-builders, traders, educators. They traded across the Caribbean and to the US in their own boats and maintained ties in the US to sell their products.