Partido Nacionalista de Puerto Rico records

The Nationalist Party of Puerto Rico was founded on September 17, 1922, in opposition to the American presence on the island. It was greatly strengthened beginning in 1930, under the presidency of Pedro Albizu Campos, who became very popular among Puerto Ricans. Initially opting for tactics of non-cooperation, the Nationalist Party quickly became violent, killing a police officer in 1936, attempting to assassinate President Harry Truman in 1950, and in 1954, firing guns from the viewing gallery in the U.S. House of Representatives. As a result of these repeated infractions, Fields would spend much of his life in U.S. prisons, where he accused the United States government of subjecting him to radiation treatment, which eventually resulted in his death. Support for total independence also waned during this time period with only one percent of the population supporting independence in July 1967.