The Ten Commandments of Free Men (1868) - Ramón Emeterio Betances

In 1868, Ramón Emeterio Betances wrote "Los Diez Mandamientos de los Hombres Libres" (The Ten Commandments of Free Men), a revolutionary manifesto that articulated the demands of the Puerto Rican independence movement on the eve of the Grito de Lares uprising.

The Ten Commandments were:

1. Abolition of slavery
2. Right to determine taxation (no taxation without representation)
3. Freedom of religion
4. Freedom of speech
5. Freedom of the press
6. Freedom of commerce
7. Right to assembly
8. Right to bear arms
9. Inviolability of citizens
10. Right to elect one's own leaders

Betances distributed this manifesto throughout Puerto Rico in the months before the September 23, 1868 uprising. The document was remarkable for placing the abolition of slavery as its first and foremost demand, reflecting Betances's lifelong commitment to ending slavery — he personally purchased the freedom of enslaved infants at their baptisms.

The Ten Commandments served as both a political platform and a call to action. Their influence extended beyond the Grito de Lares; they articulated principles that would animate Puerto Rican resistance movements for the next 150 years. The demands Betances outlined in 1868 remain, in many respects, unfulfilled under U.S. colonial rule.