United States occupation of the Dominican Republic ( 1916 – 24 ) The United States occupation of the Dominican Republic occurred from 1916 to 1924 . It was one of the many interventions in Latin America undertaken by American military forces . On May 13 , 1916 , Rear Admiral William B . Caperton forced the Dominican Republic ' s Secretary of War Desiderio Arias , who had seized power from Juan Isidro Jimenes Pereyra , to leave Santo Domingo by threatening the city with naval bombardment . Occupation . Three days after Arias left the country , United States Marines landed and took control of the country within two months , and in November the United States imposed a military government under Rear Admiral Harry Shepard Knapp . The marines restored order throughout most of the republic , with the exception of the eastern region ; the country ' s budget was balanced , its debt was diminished , and economic growth resumed ; infrastructure projects produced new roads that linked all the country ' s regions for the first time in its history ; a professional military organization , the Dominican Constabulary Guard , replaced the partisan forces that had waged a seemingly endless struggle for power . Most Dominicans , however , greatly resented the loss of their sovereignty to foreigners , few of whom spoke Spanish or displayed much real concern for the welfare of the republic . A guerrilla movement , known as the gavilleros , leaders such as General Ramon Natera , enjoyed considerable support from the population in the eastern provinces of El Seibo and San Pedro de Macorís . Having knowledge of the local terrain , they fought against the United States occupation from 1917 to 1921 . American naval forces maintained order during a period of chronic and threatened insurrection . In 1921 , the gavilleros were crushed due to scorched earth tactics , superior air power , firepower and counterinsurgency methods of the United States military . Withdrawal . After World War I , public opinion in the United States began to run against the occupation . Warren G . Harding , who succeeded Wilson in March 1921 , had campaigned against the occupations of both Haiti and the Dominican Republic . In June 1921 , United States representatives presented a withdrawal proposal , known as the Harding Plan , which called for Dominican ratification of all acts of the military government , approval of a loan of US $ 2 . 5 million for public works and other expenses , the acceptance of United States officers for the constabulary — now known as the National Guard ( Guardia Nacional ) — and the holding of elections under United States supervision . Popular reaction to the plan was overwhelmingly negative . Moderate Dominican leaders , however , used the plan as the basis for further negotiations that resulted in an agreement between U . S . Secretary of State Charles Evans Hughes and Dominican Ambassador to the United States Francisco J . Peynado on June 30 , 1922 , allowing for the selection of a provisional president to rule until elections could be organized . Under the supervision of High Commissioner Sumner Welles , Juan Bautista Vicini Burgos assumed the provisional presidency on October 21 , 1922 . In the presidential election of March 15 , 1924 , Horacio Vásquez Lajara , an American ally who cooperated with the United States government , handily defeated Peynado . Vásquez ' s Alliance Party ( Partido Alianza ) also won a comfortable majority in both houses of Congress . With his inauguration on July 13 , control of the republic returned to Dominican hands . Aftermath . Despite the withdrawal , there were still concerns regarding the collection and application of the country ' s custom revenues . To address this problem , representatives of the United States and the Dominican Republic governments met at a convention and signed a treaty , on December 27 , 1924 , which gave the United States control over the country ' s custom revenues . In 1941 , the treaty was officially repealed and control over the country ' s custom revenues was again returned to Dominican Republic government . However this treaty created lasting resentment of the United States among the people of the Dominican Republic . The Dominican Campaign Medal was an authorized U . S . service medal for those military members who had participated in the conflict .