Puerto Rican independence movement
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The political movement for Puerto Rican Independence (Lucha por la Independencia Puertorriqueña) has existed since the mid-19th century and has advocated independence of the island of Puerto Rico, in varying degrees, from Spain (in the 19th century) or the United States (from 1898 to the present day).
There have been many types of fights for independence in Puerto Rico, some violent and others peaceful. In 1868, the Grito de Lares took place, in which revolutionaries took over the town of Lares and declared the Republic of Puerto Rico. Ramón Emeterio Betances was the leader of this revolt. The revolt was "squashed" by the forces loyal to Spain.
A number of other leaders, including Jose de Diego, a well-known intellectual and legislator had sought disconnection from the United States via political accommodation. Pedro Albizu Campos was an influential revolutionary leader in the early 20th century. He co-founded the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party, a group that used violent means in an attempt to gain independence from the United States. In the 1950s, the Nationalists staged an uprising in the island (The Jayuya Uprising); attempted to assassinate President Harry S. Truman at Blair House; and, in 1954, led an attack in the U.S. Capitol building that wounded several legislators.
Puerto Rico was also allowed to have a constitution in 1952 under the U.S. supremacy clause, subject to U.S. laws and a U.S. Executive and Legislative Branch, which Puerto Rico residents did not participate in electing or creating. The government suppressed the Nationalist leaders and their activities and the influence of the Nationalist Party waned. A spectrum of Nationalist sentiments and parties exists nowadays in Puerto Rico. A majority of independentistas today seek to achieve independence through either the electoral or the diplomatic process. Gilberto Concepcion de Gracia founded the Puerto Rican Independence Party or PIP, the most influential organization participating in the electoral process. The party has successfully elected some legislative candidates, but has never won more than a few percentage points of the vote in gubernatorial elections (2.7% in 2004 and 10-15% of the archipielago-wide legislative vote [1]) or in referenda about the political status of Puerto Rico. Its leader is currently Ruben Berrios.
[edit] See also
- Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2007
- Latin American and Caribbean Congress in Solidarity with Puerto Rico’s Independence
- Puerto Rican Independence Party
