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Borinquén : Throughline Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory in 1898 and for much of the next fifty years Puerto Ricans fought fiercely about this status. Should they struggle for independence, or to be a U.S. state, or something in between? In this episode, we look at Puerto Rico's relationship with the mainland U.S. and the key figures who shaped the island's fate.

Throughline

Borinquén

Borinquén

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  • Puerto Rican nationalists Irvin Flores Rodriguez, Rafael Cancel Miranda, Lolita Lebron, and Andres Figueroa Cordero, standing in a police lineup following their arrest after a shooting attack on the U.S. Capitol, March 1, 1954.
    Puerto Rican nationalists Irvin Flores Rodriguez, Rafael Cancel Miranda, Lolita Lebron, and Andres Figueroa Cordero, standing in a police lineup following their arrest after a shooting attack on the U.S. Capitol, March 1, 1954.
    AP
  • Pedro Albizu Campos, right, waves his hat in this undated photo. The Puerto Rican Nationalist Party leader called for armed uprisings in several cities in 1950.
    Pedro Albizu Campos, right, waves his hat in this undated photo. The Puerto Rican Nationalist Party leader called for armed uprisings in several cities in 1950.
    AP
  • Governor Luis Munoz Marin, first elected governor of Puerto Rico, looking over hundreds of cablegrams congratulating him on his escape after nationalists attempted to assassinate him.
    Governor Luis Munoz Marin, first elected governor of Puerto Rico, looking over hundreds of cablegrams congratulating him on his escape after nationalists attempted to assassinate him.
    Bettmann/Bettmann Archive
  • Dr. Cornelius P. Rhoads is presented with a $10,000 check for cancer research by Dorothy Shaver, president of Lord & Taylor department store, during the 20th Lord & Taylor Award Luncheon at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York City, 1950s.
    Dr. Cornelius P. Rhoads is presented with a $10,000 check for cancer research by Dorothy Shaver, president of Lord & Taylor department store, during the 20th Lord & Taylor Award Luncheon at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York City, 1950s.
    Hulton Archive/Getty Images

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Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory in 1898 and for much of the next fifty years Puerto Ricans fought fiercely about this status. Should they struggle for independence, or to be a U.S. state, or something in between? In this episode, we look at Puerto Rico's relationship with the mainland U.S. and the key figures who shaped the island's fate.

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