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.