The late 1800s was a turbulent time period in Cuba and Philippines. In these countries, revolutions were storming the citizens. Notable revolutionary leaders were Francisco “Pancho” Villa, Jose Marti, and Emilio Aguinaldo. The backgrounds and actions of these leaders may have been different, but they had a common motive which was to overthrow the tyrannical Spanish governments in their respective countries.
Francisco “Pancho” Villa was an outlaw who organized revolts against the powerful leaders of Mexico. Interestingly, Villa became the head of his household at the age fifteen after the death of his father and this position led him to shoot a man who harassed his sister. He was a brave protector and leader from his childhood. He fled for six years because of the incident; during the time, he became a bandit and acquired fighting skills. Not only was he brave, but he was also intelligent. Villa used his skills to fight the oppression that Porfirio Díaz was causing to the poor. His motivation to start the revolution was out of necessity for the frustration and anger over local injustices. After Díaz, came Pascual Orozco, who worked with President Madero of Mexico. Villa, as an experienced leader, again overthrew the new tyrant. Later, he brought down Carranza with President Woodrow Wilson’s help; however, President Wilson withdrew his support. This angered Villa and causes him to kidnap and murder citizens American citizens and also burn cities. “Pancho” Villa quickly turned from a revolutionary leader for “the people” to a rebellious leader.
José Martí, as a skilled writer, spent his life fighting for Cuban independence without forefront violence, unlike “Pancho” Villa. Martí was born to poor Spanish immigrant parents, but that didn’t stop him from developing his writing talent. He wrote newspapers about liberation from the Spanish and published Political Imprisonment in Cuba, which was about his prison life. His efforts to further his plan were hindered multiple times by the government when he was deported from one country to another. When Martí finally settled down in the Unites States, he founded El Partido Revolucionario Cubano (Cuban Revolutionary Party). While living in the states, Marti realized he did not want U.S. intervention in the affairs of Cuba. Few years later, he returned to Cuba