Carlos Manuel de Céspedes del Castillo was a prominent Cuban revolutionary hero who served as the First President of Cuba in Arms in 1868. Originally a plantation owner in Cuba, he became a central figure in the nation's struggle for sovereignty by freeing his slaves and initiating the movement toward self-governance.
In 1868, Céspedes issued the declaration of Cuban independence, an act that launched the Ten Years' War (1868–1878). This conflict represented the first of three wars fought to end Spanish rule. The subsequent wars eventually led to Cuba's independence in 1902.