Presentation Title
Betances and Puerto Rican Abolitionism
Type of Presentation
Presentation
Description
The abolition of slavery did not reach Puerto Rico until 1873. Figures like Ramón Emeterio Betances were crucial in the edification of an abolitionist movement on the island. Their work did not come without sacrifice; Betances’s attempt at freeing the island from its colonial overlords was costly. The island’s struggle was embodied by the 1868 Grito de Lares, in which all sectors of Puerto Rican society participated intending to freeing the slaves and liberate their nation. Moreover, like in other places, Puerto Rican abolitionism did not happen in a vacuum. American abolitionism played a vital role in the tactics employed by abolitionists on the island. Especially the example set by John Brown and the secret abolitionists societies throughout the United States.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Faculty Mentor
Michael Hall, History
Department of Primary Presenter's Major
Department of Literature
Symposium Year
2020
Betances and Puerto Rican Abolitionism
