Uprising in Puerto Rico!

There has been a revolt just a few days ago against Spanish rule on the island of Puerto Rico in the city of Lares!

It does not come at much of a surprise that there has been an uprising in Puerto Rico. After the word spread of the rebellion in Haiti, many islands have planned revolts of their own. Many factors that frustrate the oppressed on the island, such as Spanish indifference, excessive taxes, colonial repression, and an economic crisis, formulate the arguments that the rebel leaders use to justify the rebellion. With the intent on ending colonial rule, Ramón Emeterio Betances and Segundo Ruiz Belvis were behind the revolution. 

Ramón Emeterio Betances

Segundo Ruiz Belvis 

However, we have discovered that Ruiz Belvis has just recently passed away while in Chile. Many fear his death was at the hands of Spaniards, but fortunately his death was caused by natural causes. But, the planning did go on. Betances was still able to plan the invasion, recruit willing fighters, collect funds, and purchase a ship and a variety of weapons. The town of Lares was chosen at the center of the rebellion because its position is far from the military headquarters in San Juan, and the mountains offer a degree of cover to the rebels should they be forced to fight a guerrilla war. On the morning of the 23^rd of September, six days before the original date of attack, many men were placed along the paths leading to town to guide arriving rebels, and to keep informers from leaving the town. Other rebels were left to gathering the horses and weapons and preparing food for the incoming troops.

The rebels have proven themselves to be a racially and socially diverse group. We have been told that hacendados, peasant farmers, jornaleros, artisans, and slaves all were part of the rebellion. Women were also involved in the conspiracy, but they did not form any part of the fighting force. If the rebellion was successful, the participants planned to abolish taxes, cancel all debts, and the oppressive libretas would come to an end. Thus, hundreds of libretas were set on fire. 


Upon reaching Lares, the mayor and his assistant were immediately arrested and jailed. Then, the rebels began to occupy City Hall, and they at once removed the portrait of the Queen, and declared Puerto Rico a free republic. Unfortunately, forces from the town of Pepino arrived to crush the rebellion. The rebels were forced to take cover in the nearby mountains. Left to defend themselves, the rebels were poorly armed and unable to flee the island for lack of ships, so they were quickly apprehended by the Spanish military. The Spanish were generous to the newly established government because Cuba has just recently revolted, as well; the Spanish government has pardoned many of the Puerto Ricans, so it can concentrate on the Cuban situation. The Spanish is now using the island of Puerto Rico as a base of operations from which to dispatch troops and weapons against Cuba. But the story does not end there…

Stay tuned; more to come on the subject of Puerto Rico next week!

Sources: 

Wagenheim, Olga Jiménez De. Puerto Rico: An Interpretive History from Pre-Columbian Times  to 1900. Princeton, NJ: Markus Wiener, 1998. Print.

Wagenheim, Olga Jiménez De. Puerto Rico's Revolt for Independence: El Grito De Lares. Boulder: Westview, 1985. Accessed through Google Books. 

Haitian Revolution impacts the Atlantic!

The uprising on the island of Saint Domingue influences the Atlantic realm, especially on the island of Puerto Rico.

            The slave revolt being called the “Haitian Revolution” on the French-controlled island of Saint Domingue is starting to have a serious impact on other neighboring islands. One of these islands is Puerto Rico, which is controlled by the Spanish monarchy. The world has recently been informed that the slave population on Saint Domingue, clearly dissatisfied with system of slavery, has rebelled. Now, as the French Revolution is beginning to escalate in France, conditions on Saint Domingue have worsened, which now serves as a direct correlation to the sentiments of the inhabitants of Puerto Rico.

            Most importantly, the Creole patriots on the island are facing an opportunity to open an international market for sugar and coffee that has been brought on by the disintegration of Saint Domingue’s economy as a result of the Haitian Revolution. Thus, Puerto Rico has been presented with the chance to improve their position as representatives of the interests of the Spanish homeland by accelerating the economic transition from cattle ranching and agriculture to intensive production of coffee and sugar. This promising endeavor has given the elite on the island more freedom and has made them very profitable. However, this perfect picture has its flaws. The ex-slaves on the renamed island of “Haiti” did not intend for other islands to gain from their developments as a free, autonomous island.  But for Puerto Rico, slavery and the speed of development is a matter of survival.

            The population on Puerto Rico, which includes slaves and white plantation owners, continues to increase at an impressive rate per year. Also, the island has begun to experience a labor scarcity. Many on the island consider slavery as a quick solution to this problem. However, others have expressed concerns regarding the dangers of this solution; these sentiments have surfaced because of the Haitian Revolution. Most importantly, the elite on the island believe that the Haitian Revolution might embolden Puerto Rico’s slaves to follow in the Haitian’s footsteps and revolt. The plantation owners also fear for their lives because the Haitian slaves have been killing their masters during their revolt. These revolts could also lead to an alliance between Africans and free morenos and pardos, which are a similar situation to that of Haiti. This would upset the racial equilibrium on the island in favor of the people of color.

However, there are many elites on the island that do not believe that the black population will surpass the white inhabitants. First, the island is not large enough for the black slaves to take refuge from the white plantation owners. Secondly, there is African inferiority. Many claim that the slaves cannot expect aid or refuge from Haiti because they do not have the resources. Also, Haitians would have to launch a maritime expedition, and the whites assert that the black slaves are incapable of such an enterprise. Even if the Haitian ex-slaves were capable of such an attack, many Puerto Rican inhabitants believe they are more than capable of handling such enemies. Whether or not they are truly capable, well, we shall see. Tune in next week for more developments in the Haitian Revolution and its repercussions.

Sources:

Wagenheim, Olga Jiménez De. Puerto Rico: An Interpretive History from Pre-Columbian Times to 1900. Princeton, NJ: Markus Wiener, 1998. Print.

Geggus, David Patrick. The Impact of the Haitian Revolution in the Atlantic World. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina, 2001. Print. Accessed through Google Books.