The Independence Association of Puerto Rico (Asociación Independentista) was a political organization whose members favored Puerto Rican independence and which played an important role in the formation of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party.
History
In 1920, Dr.
Leopoldo Figueroa
Leopoldo Figueroa (September 21, 1887 – October 15, 1969) a.k.a. "The deacon of the Puerto Rican Legislature", was a Puerto Rican politician, journalist, medical doctor and lawyer. Figueroa, who began his political career as an advocate of Puer ...
became disillusioned with the
Union Party of Puerto Rico
The Union of Puerto Rico ( es, Unión de Puerto Rico, UPR), also known as the Unionist PartyBolivar Pagan. ''Historia de los Partidos Políticos Puertorriqueños (1898-1956).'' San Juan, Puerto Rico: Litografía Real Hermanos, Inc. 1959. Tomo I. p ...
's leadership and together with
José S. Alegría
José S. Alegría (July 17, 1886 – July 29, 1965), was a poet, writer, lawyer and politician. Alegría was a founding member of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party and president of the political organization from 1928 to 1930.
Early years
Aleg ...
(father of
Ricardo Alegría
Ricardo E. Alegría Gallardo (April 14, 1921 – July 7, 2011) was a Puerto Rican scholar, cultural anthropologist and archaeologist known as the "father of modern Puerto Rican archaeology".
Early years
Alegría was born in San Juan, Puerto Ric ...
) and Eugenio Font Suárez co-founded the Independence Association (Asociación Independentista).
[Ley Núm. 282 del año 2006](_blank)
/ref>
José Coll y Cuchí
José Coll y Cuchí (January 12, 1877 – July 2, 1960) was a lawyer, writer and the founder of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party. He was a member of a Puerto Rican family of politicians, educators and writers.See: "Notable family members" sect ...
, who belonged to the Union Party of Puerto Rico, felt that the Union Party was not doing enough for the cause of Puerto Rican independence and together with his followers quit the party and founded the Nationalist Association of Puerto Rico (Asociación Nacionalista de Puerto Rico) in San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to:
Places Argentina
* San Juan Province, Argentina
* San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province
* San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province
* San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...
in 1919.[ El Nuevo Dia](_blank)
The Nationalist Association had a youth group called the "Juventud Nacionalista" (Nationalist Youth) which was at that time presided by José Paniagua. The Nationalist Youth was then composed of students from the University of Puerto Rico
The University of Puerto Rico ( es, Universidad de Puerto Rico, UPR) is the main public university system in the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It is a government-owned corporation with 11 campuses and approximately 58,000 students and 5,3 ...
and High School students.Partido Nacionalista de Puerto Rico
/ref>
On September 17, 1922, the Independence Association merged with Coll y Cuchí's Nationalist Association of Puerto Rico and the Nationalist Youth (Juventud Nacionalista) political organizations to form the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party
The Nationalist Party of Puerto Rico ( es, Partido Nacionalista de Puerto Rico, PNPR) is a Puerto Rican political party founded on September 17, 1922, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Its primary goal is to work for Puerto Rico's independence. The P ...
.
Further reading
*José Trías Monge, ''Puerto Rico: The Trials of the Oldest Colony in the World'' (Yale University Press, 1997)
References
Defunct political parties in Puerto Rico
Political parties established in 1920
{{Puerto Rico stub