Editing Politics of Puerto Rico (section)

==== 1940–1968 ====
[[Luis Muñoz Marín]] founded the [[Partido Popular Democratico (Puerto Rico)|Popular Democratic Party]] (PPD) in 1940. Their slogan was ''Pan, Tierra y Libertad'' (Bread, Land and Liberty). The party favored independence from the United States in its initial stages but social and economic reform were priorities in their political agenda.

The [[Puerto Rican Independence Party]] was formed six years later by dissidents who saw the PPD moving away from the ideal of independence. During that period, the colonial regime appointed the first Puerto Rican governor, [[Jesús T. Piñero]], until 1948 when the people elected Luis Muñoz Marín, the first elected [[governor of Puerto Rico|governor]].

The years of 1944–1948 were crucial ones in the direction of the country. Luis Muñoz Marín shifted his goals from independence to state-like autonomy to accommodate better economic circumstances. This led to the [[United States Congress|U.S. Congress]] to enact the Public Law 81-600 which led to the Congressional approval of a local constitution drafted by a constitutional assembly elected by Puerto Rico and the renaming of the United States unincorporated territory of Puerto Rico as the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, using the same official name as the commonwealths of the U.S. states of [[Kentucky]], [[Massachusetts]], [[Pennsylvania]] and [[Virginia]], as well as that of other sovereign nation countries such as [[Australia]]. The alternative pro-independence Tydings bill had languished in Congress.

In the 1950s, the [[Puerto Rican Nationalist Party]] denounced the [[Constitution of Puerto Rico|Constitution]] and [[Luis Muñoz Marín|Muñoz Marín]] support as a sham, and staged a series of uprisings in 1950, known as the [[Puerto Rican Nationalist Party Revolts of the 1950s]], of which the most notable were the ones in [[Jayuya Uprising|Jayuya]], [[Utuado Uprising|Utuado]] and [[San Juan Nationalist revolt|San Juan]], plus the attack on [[Blair House]], and the [[United States House of Representatives]] in 1954. Twenty-three people were killed and more than 50 were injured.

[[Governor of Puerto Rico|Governor]] Muñoz Marín inaugurated the new status called ''Estado Libre Asociado''—or '' Free Associated State'' in English—and raised the [[Puerto Rican flag]] along with [[La Borinqueña]], the official anthem of Puerto Rico, for the first time on July 25, 1952—date in which Puerto Ricans celebrate the [[Constitution of Puerto Rico]].