War Against All Puerto Ricans

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The powerful, untold story of the 1950 revolution in Puerto Rico reveals the long history of U.S. intervention on the island. In 1950, after over fifty years of military occupation, the Nationalist Party staged an armed insurrection against the United States. This led to violence across the island, including attempts on President Harry Truman's life, gunfights in multiple towns, and the destruction of police stations and post offices. In response, the U.S. Army deployed thousands of troops and bombarded two towns, marking the first instance of the U.S. government bombing its own citizens. The narrative centers on Pedro Albizu Campos, president of the Nationalist Party, a lawyer, chemical engineer, and the first Puerto Rican to graduate from Harvard Law School. Imprisoned for twenty-five years and dying under mysterious circumstances, his life reflects a broader story of Puerto Rico and U.S. colonialism. Through oral histories, interviews, eyewitness accounts, congressional testimony, and declassified FBI files, the account uncovers a forgotten revolution and its historical context, from the U.S. invasion in 1898 to contemporary struggles for self-determination. It details the gunfights, prison riots, political intrigue, and covert activities that marked this tumultuous period in Puerto Rican history.