Nationalist Insurrection of 1950

The Nationalist Insurrection of 1950 was the most significant armed uprising in Puerto Rico's modern history. On October 30, 1950, members of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party launched coordinated attacks across the island, striking at the symbols and instruments of colonial rule.

The Uprising: Nationalists attacked government buildings, police stations, and post offices in at least nine towns: Jayuya, Utuado, Arecibo, Mayagüez, Naranjito, Peñuelas, Ponce, San Juan, and others. In Jayuya, Blanca Canales raised the Puerto Rican flag at the town post office and declared the Republic of Puerto Rico. In San Juan, Nationalists attacked La Fortaleza, the governor's mansion.

U.S. Military Response: Governor Luis Muñoz Marín called out the Puerto Rico National Guard and requested federal military assistance. The U.S. deployed P-47 Thunderbolt fighter planes to strafe and bomb the towns of Jayuya and Utuado — marking one of the only instances in the 20th century of the United States bombing its own territory. Artillery was used against civilian areas. Martial law was effectively imposed.

Casualties and Aftermath: At least 28 Nationalists, 7 Guardsmen, and an unknown number of civilians were killed. Over 1,000 people were arrested across the island, many under the Gag Law (Law 53 of 1948). The insurrection was suppressed within three days.

Connected Events: Two days later, on November 1, 1950, Nationalists Oscar Collazo and Griselio Torresola attempted to assassinate President Truman at Blair House in Washington, D.C., in solidarity with the Puerto Rican uprising. Torresola was killed; Collazo was captured and sentenced to death (later commuted to life imprisonment).

Censorship: The U.S. government and Puerto Rican Commonwealth government systematically suppressed information about the insurrection. Newspaper coverage was censored, and the events were minimized in official histories. The bombing of Jayuya and Utuado was not widely acknowledged for decades.

The 1950 insurrection demonstrated both the depth of resistance to colonial rule and the willingness of the United States to use overwhelming military force against its own colonial subjects.