The National Anthem of the Dominican Republic

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José Reyés was inspired to make this anthem after noticing a published copy of the Argentine anthem. Reyés believed that his country should also have an anthem, so he invited his friend Emilio Prud'homme to write the lines while he composed the music. Soon after Reyés managed to get his anthem published as well; it was well-received by the public and soon grew in popularity. The title of the national anthem, "Quisqueyanos valientes" (Valient Sons of Quisqueye), refers to the original native inhabitants' word for Santo Domingo island.)

A motion in the National Congress was made in 1897 by deputy Rafael Garcia Martinez to give the song official status, but the president refused to sign the bill into law, possibly because of Prud'homme's disagreement with President Heureaux's dictatorial government. It wasn't until 1934, many years after Heureaux's death, that President Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina officially adopted the song as the national anthem.

The stamp above features the anthem composer and lyricist together on a stamp issued to celebrate the Centenary of the National Anthem (1883-1983). Below is a stamp with parts of the Prud'hommes's lyrics of the National Anthem.

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