Several are the connections that link him and unite him to Ignacio Agramonte and Loynaz; however, he is a personality with his own voice, with very clear principles, great intelligence, solidity, security and strength of feeling, which well demonstrates his actions, as a result of the evolution of his thinking.
Genesis of the revolutionary man
Eduardo Agramonte Piña came from a family with ample economic resources, which allows him to study at the University and do his medical degree in Barcelona. Coexistence with Spanish society and students from the American colonies would forge the thinking of that young man eager to express his ideas that would evolve later. At first it could be considered rebellion, but in reality he was part of a whole generation that demanded a true change for Cuba.
He would finish his higher studies with a straight A report card, receiving a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery degree. After arriving in Cuba, although he temporarily stayed in Cienfuegos city and Sagua la Grande, he settles down in Puerto Principe. He began to practice as a doctor and later as a professor at the Institute of Second Education.
The influence that he could have exerted on the awareness of his students, backed by a group of professors characterized by their honesty, is proven when some of his students would join the ranks of the Liberation Army.
Journalistic work
Together with other young people, he founded the newspaper El Oriente, with eminently political purposes, but which had a short duration, since almost all its members expressed their disaffection towards Spain and were immersed in the conspiracy. Later, the weekly publication El Popular was born on May 17th, 1868, which would be published until October of the same year and whose revolutionary objective was to enlighten artisans, who due to their scarce resources did not have access to studies. However, his work is somewhat interrupted by his role as Matilde Simoni’s husband and as a father.
The Philharmonic Society
Along with all these tasks, he made his entry as a member of the Philharmonic. There he occupies different positions such as: vice-secretary and honorary optional partner of the Literature Section, president of the Music Section and deputy director of the Society. This society constituted the conspiratorial focus of Camagüey; around it the elements that made up the Revolutionary Board were grouped. In addition, it was a scenario in which the contradiction between Creoles and peninsular was evident.
The Revolutionary Board and Las Clavellinas Uprising
Eduardo Agramonte would be among the founders of the board, within which they agree to organize the Lodge Tínima No.16, linked to the mother lodge Gran Oriente de Cuba y las Antillas (GOCA), an institution that would allow its members to meet without raising suspicions among the Spanish authorities. His performance within the conspiratorial movement was active and once the revolution began, he would be in favor of rapid armed action in support of the men from the East, which meant the incorporation of Camagüey into the war.
The prominence acquired in this stage of his life led him to become one of the defenders of the revolution in the territory; not for pleasure on the date, time and place mentioned, he was among the seventy-six people from Camaguey, who in response to the commitment of honor contracted, rose up in arms. From there, a series of direct and indirect conditions are observed that justify their actions.
In broad strokes, an attempt has been made to explain a first stage in the evolution of Eduardo Agramonte Piña’s thinking, a personality that deserves further study.
Bibliography
Figueredo, Fernando. La Revolución de Yara. Tomo I. Instituto Cubano del Libro. La Habana, 1969.
Cento, Elda coords. Cuadernos de historia principeña 11. Patrimonio y legado al siglo XXI. Editorial Ácana. Camagüey, 2012.
Godínez Sosa, Emilio. Eduardo Agramonte Piña. Instituto Cubano del Libro, Editorial Arte y literatura. La Habana, 1975.
Translated by: Aileen Álvarez García
