The Puerto Rican Nationalist Party Revolts of the 1950s was a call for independence and uprising by the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party

Puerto Rican Nationalist Party

The Puerto Rican Nationalist Party was founded on September 17, 1922. Its main objective is to work for Puerto Rican Independence.In 1919, José Coll y Cuchí, a member of the Union Party of Puerto Rico, felt that the Union Party was not doing enough for the cause of Puerto Rican independence and he...

 against United States Government rule of Puerto Rico and against the approval of the creation of the political status "Free Associated State" ("Estado Libre Associado") for Puerto Rico which was considered a colonial farce.

The revolts began on October 30, 1950, upon the orders of Nationalist leader Pedro Albizu Campos

Pedro Albizu Campos

Don Pedro Albizu Campos was a Puerto Rican politician and one of the leading figures in the Puerto Rican independence movement. He was the leader and president of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party from 1930 until his death...

, with uprisings in various towns, among them Peñuelas, Mayagüez, Naranjito

Naranjito

Naranjito may refer to:*Naranjito, a town in Ecuador*Naranjito, a municipality in Puerto Rico.*Naranjito, the mascot of the 1982 Football World Cup held in Spain ....

, Arecibo

Arecibo

Arecibo may refer to:*Arecibo, Puerto Rico, a municipality located by the Atlantic Ocean*Arecibo Observatory, a very sensitive radio telescope located approximately south-southwest from the city of Arecibo...

 and Ponce

Ponce, Puerto Rico

Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...

, of which the most notable occurrences being in Utuado, where the insurgents were massacred, Jayuya, the town where the "Free Republic of Puerto Rico" was declared, and which was heavily damaged by the military in response to the insurrection, and in San Juan, Puerto Rico

San Juan, Puerto Rico

San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...

 where the Nationalists made an attempt against then-Governor Luis Muñoz Marín

Luis Muñoz Marín

Don José Luis Alberto Muñoz Marín was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist, and politician. Regarded as the "father of modern Puerto Rico," he was the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico. Muñoz Marín was the son of Luis Muñoz Rivera, a renowned autonomist leader...

 at his residence "La Fortaleza

La Fortaleza

La Fortaleza is the current official residence of the Governor of Puerto Rico. It was built between 1533 and 1540 to defend the harbor of San Juan. The structure is also known as Palacio de Santa Catalina . It is the oldest executive mansion in the New World...

".

The revolts were not limited to Puerto Rico, but also included a plot to assassinate then United States President Harry S. Truman

Harry S. Truman

Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...

 in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

. On November 1, 1950, two members of the Nationalists attacked the Blair House, where Truman was staying during the time that renovations were being made to the White House. The last major attempt by the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party to draw world attention to Puerto Rico's colonial situation occurred on March 1, 1954, when four nationalists attacked the United States House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

.

Revolts and events of the 1950s

1. Puerto Rican Nationalist Party
   Puerto Rican Nationalist Party
   The Puerto Rican Nationalist Party was founded on September 17, 1922. Its main objective is to work for Puerto Rican Independence.In 1919, José Coll y Cuchí, a member of the Union Party of Puerto Rico, felt that the Union Party was not doing enough for the cause of Puerto Rican independence and he...
   
   
   First organized on September 17, 1922. Its main objective is Puerto Rican Independence. By 1930, disagreements between Jose Coll y Cuchi and Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos as to how the party should be run, led the former and his followers to abandon the party. On May 11, 1930, Albizu Campos was elected president of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party. Under Albizu's leadership during the years of the Great Depression, the party became the largest independence movement in Puerto Rico. However after disappointing electoral results and strong repression by the territorial police authorities, by mid 1930s Albizu opted against electoral participation and advocated violent revolution.
2. Peñuelas Incident
   The first incident of the Nationalist uprisings occurred during the early hours of the day of October 29, when the insular police of that town surrounded the house of the mother of Melitón Muñiz Santos, the president of the Peñuelas Nationalist Party in the bario Macaná, under the pretext that he was storing weapons for the Nationalist Revolt. Without warning, the police fired upon the Nationalists in the house and a firefight between both factions ensued, which resulted on the death of two Nationalists and the wounding of six police officers. Nationalists Meliton Muñoz Santos, Roberto Jaume Rodriguez, Estanislao Lugo Santiago, Marcelino Turell, William Gutirrez and Marcelino Berrios were arrested and accused of participating in an ambush against the local insular police.
3. Ponce Incident
   Antonio Alicea, Jose Miguel Alicea, Francisco Campos (Albizu Campos nephew), Osvaldo Perez Martinez and Ramon Pedrosa Rivera were arrested and accused of the murder of police corporal Aurelio Miranda during the revolt. Raul de Jesus was accused of violation of the Insular Firearms Law.
4. Jayuya Uprising
   Jayuya Uprising
   The Jayuya Uprising, also known as the Jayuya Revolt or El Grito de Jayuya, refers to a nationalist revolt in the town of Jayuya, Puerto Rico which occurred on October 30, 1950...
   
   
   A revolt in the town of Jayuya, Puerto Rico which occurred on October 30, 1950. The revolt, led by Blanca Canales, was one of the most notable among the various revolts which occurred that day against the United States government. In the town square, Canales gave a speech and declared Puerto Rico a free Republic. The town was attacked by air by U.S. bomber planes and on land by artillery. The town was held by the nationalists for three days.
5. Utuado Uprising
   Utuado Uprising
   The Utuado Uprising, also known as the Utuado Revolt or El Grito de Utuado, refers to the revolt against the United States government in Puerto Rico which occurred on October 30, 1950 in various localities in Puerto Rico and which in Utuado culminated in the "Utuado massacre".-Events leading to the...
   
   
   A revolt against the United States government in Puerto Rico which occurred on October 30, 1950 in in the town of Utuado which culminated in the "Utuado massacre". The National Guard arrived that day and ordered the nine men who survived the attack to surrender. Once the nationalists surrendered they were forced to march down Dr. Cueto Street to the local town plaza where their shoes, belts and personal belongings were removed. The group was then taken behind the police station and where, without a trial, they were machined gunned. Four of the nationalists died, they were nationalist leader Heriberto Castro, Julio Colón Feliciano, Agustín Quiñones Mercado, Antonio Ramos and Antonio González. González, who was 17 years old, pleaded for water and instead was bayoneted to death. The five survivors were seriously wounded in what became known as "La Masacre de Utuado" (The Utuado Massacre).
6. Nationalist attack of San Juan
   Nationalist attack of San Juan
   The Nationalist attack of San Juan was one of many uprisings against United States Government rule which occurred in Puerto Rico on October 30, 1950 during the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party revolts...
   
   
   Attack of Puerto Rico's Capital on October 30, 1950. The San Juan uprising's main objective was to attack "La Fortaleza" (the Governors mansion) and the United States Federal Court House Building in Old San Juan.
7. Truman assassination attempt
   Truman assassination attempt
   The assassination attempt on U.S. President Harry S. Truman occurred on November 1, 1950. It was perpetrated by two Puerto Rican pro-independence activists, Oscar Collazo and Griselio Torresola, while the President resided at the Blair House. The attempt resulted in the deaths of White House Police...
   
   
   Assassination attempt on U.S. President Harry S Truman which occurred on November 1, 1950. It was perpetrated by nationalists, Oscar Collazo and Griselio Torresola, while the President resided at the Blair House.
8. U.S. Capitol shooting incident (1954)
   U.S. Capitol shooting incident (1954)
   The United States Capitol shooting incident of 1954 was an attack on March 1, 1954 by four Puerto Rican nationalists who shot 30 rounds from semi-automatic pistols from the Ladies' Gallery of the House of Representatives chamber in the United States Capitol.The attackers, Lolita Lebrón, Rafael...
   
   
   Attack on March 1, 1954 by four Puerto Rican Nationalists, Lolita Lebrón, Rafael Cancel Miranda, Andres Figueroa Cordero, and Irving Flores Rodríguez, in an attempt to bring world attention to the colonial status of Puerto Rico. The Nationalists fired automatic pistols from the Ladies' Gallery (a balcony for visitors) of the House of Representatives chamber in the United States Capitol at the 240 Representatives of the 83rd Congress
   83rd United States Congress
   The Eighty-third United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1953 to January 3, 1955, during the first two years...
   
    who were on the floor during debate over an immigration bill.

Notable Nationalist leaders of the 1950s

Notable Nationalists involved in the revolts of the 1950s:

1. Pedro Albizu Campos
   Pedro Albizu Campos
   Don Pedro Albizu Campos was a Puerto Rican politician and one of the leading figures in the Puerto Rican independence movement. He was the leader and president of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party from 1930 until his death...
   
    - Party president.
2. Rafael Cancel Miranda
   Rafael Cancel Miranda
   Rafael Cancel Miranda , political activist, is a member of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party and an advocate of Puerto Rican independence. On March 1, 1954, Cancel Miranda together with fellow Nationalists Lolita Lebron, Andres Figueroa Cordero, and Irving Flores Rodriguez entered the United...
   
    - Cancel Miranda participated in the attack against the U.S. Capitol in 1954.
3. Blanca Canales
   Blanca Canales
   Blanca Canales Torresola was a Puerto Rican nationalist leader. Canales may possibly have been the first woman to have led a revolt against the United States when she led the The Jayuya Uprising.-Early years:...
   
    - Leader of the Jayuya Uprising.
4. Oscar Collazo
   Oscar Collazo
   Oscar Collazo , was one of two Puerto Ricans who attempted to assassinate U.S. President Harry S. Truman.-Early life:...
   
    - Assigned to assassinate president Truman.
5. Juan Antonio Corretjer
   Juan Antonio Corretjer
   Juan Antonio Corretjer Montes , was a poet, journalist and pro-independence political activist opposing United States rule in Puerto Rico.-Early years:...
   
    - Secretary General of the Nationalist Party
6. Lolita Lebrón
   Lolita Lebrón
   Dolores "Lolita" Lebrón Sotomayor was a Puerto Rican nationalist who wasconvicted of attempted murder and other crimes after leading an assault on the United States House of Representatives in 1954,...
   
    - Led the attack against the U.S. Capitol in 1954.
7. Hugo Margenat
   Hugo Margenat
   Hugo Margenat , was a Puerto Rican poet and Puerto Rican Independence advocate. His art was committed to serving a militant nationalistic agenda...
   
    - Founder of "Acción Juventud Independentista" (Pro-independence Youth Action) and the "Federación de Universitarios Pro Independencia" (University Pro-Independence Federation of Puerto Rico).
8. Francisco Matos Paoli
   Francisco Matos Paoli
   Francisco Matos Paoli March 9, 1915 - July 10, 2000), was a poet, critic, and essayist who in 1977 was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Paoli was also a Secretary General of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party and a renowned Puerto Rican patriot...
   
    - Secretary General of the Nationalist Party.
9. Melitón Muñiz Santos - President of the Peñuelas Nationalist Party
10. Griselio Torresola
    Griselio Torresola
    Griselio Torresola born in Jayuya, Puerto Rico, was one of two Puerto Rican Nationalists who attempted to assassinate United States President Harry Truman. During the attack on the president, Torresola mortally wounded White House policeman Private Leslie Coffelt and wounded two other law...
    
     - Assigned to assassinate president Truman.
11. Carlos Vélez Rieckehoff
    Carlos Vélez Rieckehoff
    Carlos Vélez Rieckehoff , was the President of the New York chapter of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party in the 1930s. In the 1990s Rieckehoff was among the protesters who protested against the United States Navy's use of his birth place, the island of Vieques, as a bombing range. He stood in...
    
     - Leader of the Vieques branch of the Nationalist Party.
12. Olga Viscal Garriga
    Olga Viscal Garriga
    Dr. Olga Viscal Garriga , was a public orator and political activist. Garriga was an advocate of Puerto Rican independence who was sentenced to 8 years in a United States penitentiary because she refused to recognize the authority of the United States over Puerto Rico.-Early years:Olga Viscal's ...
    
     - Student leader and spokesperson of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party's branch in Rio Piedras

Photo gallery

{| style="float: center; width: 10%; margin-bottom: 0.5em; border: #2222dd solid 1px; background-color: #c5ccf9;"
| colspan="9" text-align="center" style="background-color: #e8ecff;" |

  Gallery of Puerto Rican Nationalist Party leaders of the 1950s  

|-

"Mundo abierto" (Open world)

"Mundo abierto" (Open world) is a poem written in 1956 by Hugo Margenat where he makes reference to the bombardment of the town of Jayuya by the military during the Jayuya Uprising led by Nationalist leader Blanca Canales.

{|class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
|-align=center
! Spanish
(original version)
! English
translation
|-
|Soldado: asesino de la patria

Hombre, rechaza el uniforme que denigra.

Yo sé de miles de botas que se hunden

en la tierra nuestra, destrozándola.
|Soldier: murderer of the country

Man, reject the uniform that defames.

I know about thousands of boots that they sink

in our land, destroying it.
|-
|Yo sé de la marinería borracha y sádica

que como una avalancha de blanco estiércol

se riega por calles y plazas vomitando

su negro sello de piratas.
|I know about the sadistic and drunk seamanship

that as an avalanche of white manure

is watered for streets and plazas vomiting

its black seal of pirates.
|-
|Yo sé de los aviones que ametrallaron

nuestros tejados en un día de octubre.

Aquel horrible desprecio que llovía

en fuego sembrando dolores profundos.
|I know about the airplanes that machinegunned

our roofs in a day of October.

That horrible contempt that rained

in deep fire sowing pains.
|-
|No olvides que la luz no pudo ser ocultada

y a su calor la patria suspiró transformándose

como un rojo beso en el abrazo azul y desnudo del aire.
Sepa usted, Mundo abierto)
|Do not you forget that the light could not be hidden

and to its heat the country sighed being transformed

as a red kiss in the naked and blue hug of the air.

Know this Open World)
|-
|}

Incarcerated Nationalists

FBI list of names of the Nationalists who were incarcerated in 1950 and who were still in prison as of 1954.

See also

• Grito de Lares
  Grito de Lares
  El Grito de Lares —also referred as the Lares uprising, the Lares revolt, Lares rebellion or even Lares Revolution—was the first major revolt against Spanish rule and call for independence in Puerto Rico...
  
  
• Intentona de Yauco
  Intentona de Yauco
  The Intentona de Yauco a.k.a. the "Attempted Coup of Yauco" of 1897, was the second and last major revolt against Spanish colonial rule in Puerto Rico, staged by Puerto Rico's pro-independence movement....
  
  
• List of Puerto Ricans
• List of revolutions and rebellions