Editing Politics of Puerto Rico (section)

==== 1900-1940 ====
The [[Partido Republicano Puertorriqueño]] won the elections in 1900 and again in 1902. The new government of Puerto Rico, organized under the [[Foraker Act]] of 1900, was a mixture of the British and the American system, somewhat similar to that established for the [[territory of Orleans]] after the [[Louisiana Purchase]]. The House of Delegates was elected directly by the voters (male, propertied) and the equivalent to the Senate was the Cabinet appointed by the Governor and by the [[President of the United States]]. [[Luis Muñoz Rivera|Muñoz-Rivera]] exiled himself to [[New York City|New York]] after the defeat, but returned once the Federal Party was no longer useful and joined [[Rosendo Matienzo Cintrón]] in organizing the [[Union of Puerto Rico|Union Party]], also with them was [[José de Diego]].

Matienzo Cintrón had been a Republican, supporting statehood. But two years into the new government, he realized that statehood would not be granted and the desired equality as citizens was not feasible under the United States. He brought with him other former Republicans and practically all of Muñoz-Rivera's Federalists into a party that was to bring about the union of all political groups. He was successful, they won the elections of 1904 and all subsequent elections until the 1920s when another defection of Republicans allowed for the creation of yet another party bringing into it persons supporting a status change.

The [[Union Party (Puerto Rico)|Union Party]], initially supported statehood or an autonomous government, it then later added independence. In fact, Matienzo-Cintrón went from statehood advocate to autonomist to independence advocate as a result of eight years of American civil government in Puerto Rico. The Union Party, from the very beginning, was against the colonial government established under the ''[[Foraker Act]]''. Rosendo Matienzo Cintrón, [[Manuel Zeno Gandía]], [[Luis Lloréns Torres]], Eugenio Benítez Castaño, and Pedro Franceschi started to organize the [[Puerto Rican Independence Party|Independence Party]] in 1912,{{citation needed|date=October 2009}} which paved the path for similar movements. The Union Party quickly gained the attention of the colonial governors, all Republicans, who were willing to work closely with them because of their control of the House of Delegates. The local Republicans protested bitterly and, at one point, they took statehood out of their platform – not reinstating it until the early 1920s. Many in the Union Party leadership were lawyers who had contracts with the sugar operations recently bought out and enlarged by the new American owners, thus establishing a close relationship between the nascent middle classes and the American corporate interests.

A coalition between the pro-independence Union Party presided by [[Antonio R. Barceló]] and the pro-statehood [[Partido Republicano Puertorriqueño]] presided by [[José Tous Soto]] called the "[[Alianza Puertorriqueña]]" was formed. Differences between Barceló and Tous Soto and [[Félix Córdova Dávila]], the [[Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico|resident commissioner of Puerto Rico]] in [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]], as to the goals of the alliance became apparent. The Unionist sector of the alliance decided to disaffiliate themselves from the "Alliance." Because of legal reasons, Barceló was unable to use the name "Union Party" and in 1932, founded the "[[Liberal Party of Puerto Rico]]". The Liberal Party's political agenda was the same as the original Union Party's agenda and urged independence as a final political solution for Puerto Rico.{{citation needed|date=March 2020}} After the Liberal Party was defeated in the 1936 elections, an assembly was held in [[Naranjales, Las Marías, Puerto Rico|Naranjales]] on May 31, 1937, in which [[Luis Muñoz Marín]] presented his ideas as to how the party should be run, however, the majority of the party members objected and blamed him for their defeat. Muñoz Marín considered this action the same as having been expelled from the party.{{citation needed|date=March 2020}} Muñoz Marín and his followers, among which were included [[Felisa Rincón de Gautier|Felisa Rincon de Gautier]] and [[Ernesto Ramos Antonini]], held an assembly in the town of [[Arecibo, Puerto Rico|Arecibo]] founded the ''[[Partido Liberal Neto, Auténtico y Completo|Partido Liberal, Neto, Auténtico y Completo]]'' ("Clear, Authentic and Complete Liberal Party"), claiming to be the true Liberal Party. The Partido Liberal, Neto, Auténtico y Completo, an independent political party, later became the [[Popular Democratic Party (Puerto Rico)|Popular Democratic Party]] (PPD) which would ironically end up promoting the "Estado Libre Associado" (Free Associated State) status that Barceló, as president of Union Party, had asked for in 1923 under Campbell Bill and which Muñoz Marín had always opposed, instead of independence.{{citation needed|date=March 2020}}

The [[Nationalist Party of Puerto Rico|Puerto Rican Nationalist Party]] was founded in 1922. It strongly criticized the American colonial regime for its menace to the Spanish and Latin American roots of the Puerto Rican culture. It also advocated for complete independence. The PNP began to grow with the leadership of [[Pedro Albizu Campos|Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos]], who was later jailed by the colonial regime under charges as a subversive leader. On March 21, 1937, a peaceful march was organized in the southern city of [[Ponce, Puerto Rico|Ponce]] by the nationalists after receiving authorization from the pertinent authorities.<ref>American Gunfight: The Plot to Kill Harry Truman: And the Shoot-Out That Stopped It. Simon and Schuster. 2005. {{ISBN|0-7432-8195-0}}. Accessed 2009-10-09.</ref> The march was organized to commemorate the abolition of slavery and to demand the release of [[Pedro Albizu Campos|Albizu Campos]] from federal prison. The permit, however, was revoked by the U.S.-appointed governor of the Island [[Blanton Winship]] minutes before the march was to start. The march turned into a bloody event when the Insular Police<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.llmc.com/TitleLLMC.asp?ColID=3&Cat=136&TID=7037&TName=Ponce%20Massacre,%20Com.%20of%20Inquiry,%201937 |title=Law Library Microform Consortium |publisher=Llmc.com |access-date=2011-06-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101214194610/http://llmc.com/TitleLLMC.asp?ColID=3&Cat=136&TID=7037&TName=Ponce%20Massacre%2C%20Com.%20of%20Inquiry%2C%201937 |archive-date=2010-12-14 }}</ref> ("a force somewhat resembling the [[National Guard of the United States|National Guard]] of the typical U.S. state" and which answered to governor Winship<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.llmc.com/TitleLLMC.asp?ColID=3&Cat=136&TID=7037&TName=Ponce%20Massacre,%20Com.%20of%20Inquiry,%201937 |title=Report of the Commission of Inquiry on Civil Rights in Puerto Rico. The Commission, 70p, np, May 22, 1937 |publisher=Llmc.com |access-date=2011-06-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101214194610/http://llmc.com/TitleLLMC.asp?ColID=3&Cat=136&TID=7037&TName=Ponce%20Massacre%2C%20Com.%20of%20Inquiry%2C%201937 |archive-date=December 14, 2010 }}</ref>) opened fire upon, what a U.S. Congressman and others reported were unarmed<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.llmc.com/TitleLLMC.asp?ColID=3&Cat=136&TID=7037&TName=Ponce%20Massacre,%20Com.%20of%20Inquiry,%201937 |title=Law Library |publisher=Llmc.com |access-date=2011-06-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101214194610/http://llmc.com/TitleLLMC.asp?ColID=3&Cat=136&TID=7037&TName=Ponce%20Massacre%2C%20Com.%20of%20Inquiry%2C%201937 |archive-date=2010-12-14 }}</ref> and defenseless<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cheverote.com/reviews/marcantonio.html|title="Five Years of Tyranny", Vito Marcantonio|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112031601/http://www.cheverote.com/reviews/marcantonio.html |archive-date=2012-01-12 }}</ref> cadets and bystanders alike<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.llmc.com/TitleLLMC.asp?ColID=3&Cat=136&TID=7037&TName=Ponce%20Massacre,%20Com.%20of%20Inquiry,%201937 |title=The "police riot" shot at the demonstrators as well as the crowd standing by |publisher=Llmc.com |access-date=2011-06-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101214194610/http://llmc.com/TitleLLMC.asp?ColID=3&Cat=136&TID=7037&TName=Ponce%20Massacre%2C%20Com.%20of%20Inquiry%2C%201937 |archive-date=2010-12-14 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cheverote.com/reviews/marcantonio.html |title=US Congressman Vito Macartonio |publisher=Cheverote.com |access-date=2011-06-13 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112031601/http://www.cheverote.com/reviews/marcantonio.html |archive-date=2012-01-12 }}</ref> killing 19 and badly wounding over 200 more,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cheverote.com/reviews/marcantonio.html |title=Over 200 were wounded |publisher=Cheverote.com |access-date=2011-06-13 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112031601/http://www.cheverote.com/reviews/marcantonio.html |archive-date=2012-01-12 }}</ref> many in their backs while running away.<ref>{{cite web|author=Antonio de la Cova |url=http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/ponce-1937.htm |title=Photos of police shooting with rifles (from positions previously occupied by marchers and bystanders) at bystanders running away |publisher=Latinamericanstudies.org |access-date=2011-06-13}}</ref><ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20120112031601/http://www.cheverote.com/reviews/marcantonio.html '''Five Years of Tyranny''', Speech before the U.S. House of Representatives.]}} The entire speech is contained in the ''Congressional Record'' of August 14, 1939. It is reported in the Cong. Rec., and various other publications elsewhere, that among those shot in their backs was a 7-year-old girl, Georgina Maldonado, who "was killed through the back while running to a nearby church"</ref> It came to be known as the [[Ponce massacre]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cheverote.com/reviews/marcantonio.html |title=Report of the ACLU as echoed by U.S. Congressman Vito Marcantonio |publisher=Cheverote.com |access-date=2011-06-13 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112031601/http://www.cheverote.com/reviews/marcantonio.html |archive-date=2012-01-12 }}</ref>