Chapter 2
Long before Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory, the island was home to the Taíno, an Indigenous people with established communities, political systems, agriculture, and cultural traditions. Spanish colonization began in 1493, bringing warfare, forced labor, enslavement, disease, and displacement that caused a catastrophic decline in the Taíno population. The destruction of Taíno communities is widely understood as part of the broader genocidal violence of European colonization in the Caribbean, while Taíno people and descendants continued to resist and preserve their culture.
Pedro Albizu Campos: Resistance, Colonialism, and Self-Determination
Pedro Albizu Campos was a Puerto Rican lawyer, political leader, and one of the most influential advocates for Puerto Rican independence in the twentieth century. Born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, in 1891, Albizu came from a family with deep roots on the island and later studied at Harvard University, where he earned degrees in chemistry, engineering, and law. After returning to Puerto Rico, he became increasingly involved in the independence movement and eventually became president of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party. Albizu argued that Puerto Rico should have the right to determine its own political future rather than remain under U.S. colonial control.
Albizu's political activism brought him into increasing conflict with the U.S. government. He strongly opposed U.S. control of Puerto Rico and criticized the political and economic systems that allowed outside interests to influence the island's land, resources, and economy. In 1937, the Ponce Massacre, in which police opened fire on a peaceful Nationalist demonstration, became a major symbol of the repression faced by Puerto Rican independence supporters. Albizu was later imprisoned for his political activities and spent many years incarcerated under U.S. authority. His imprisonment illustrates the broader struggle over political power, colonialism, and the right of Puerto Ricans to organize for self-determination.
While imprisoned, Albizu suffered serious health problems and claimed that U.S. authorities had subjected him to radiation as a form of experimentation or punishment. The exact cause of his illness and the specific circumstances surrounding his radiation claims remain historically disputed, and definitive evidence establishing deliberate irradiation has not been established. Nevertheless, the allegations became an important part of the Puerto Rican independence movement's understanding of U.S. repression. Albizu's story allows us to examine the connections between colonialism, political repression, environmental harm, race, and resistance, while also asking a broader question: Who has the power to control a community's land, government, resources, and future?