Cadets of the Republic
| Cadets of the Republic | |
|---|---|
Raimundo Díaz Pacheco commanding the Nationalist Cadets
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| Allegiance |
 Puerto Rico Puerto Rican Nationalist Party
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| Battles/wars |
Puerto Rican Nationalist Party Revolts of the 1950s *San Juan Nationalist revolt |
 You may watch newsreel scenes of the Ponce massacre here
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 Newsreel scenes in Spanish of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party Revolts of the 1950s here
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Cadets of the Republic, known in Spanish as Cadetes de la República, was a quasi-military youth organization of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party in the twentieth century.
Also known as the Liberation Army of Puerto Rico (Ejército Libertador de Puerto Rico), they were organized in the 1930s by Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos, the president of the Nationalist Party. Some members of the cadets participated in the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party revolts of the 1950s against United States colonial rule.
The following is a brief history of the Cadets of the Republic, covering the period from 1930 to 1950.
In the 1920s, there was a non-political student organization in the University of Puerto Rico called Patriotas Jóvenes (Young Patriots). By the 1930s many students, who were also members of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party and influenced by the teachings of Albizu Campos, joined the Patriotas Jóvenes organization. The Patriotas adopted the Nationalist Party's independence ideals and dismissed any student who would not swear allegiance to them. The organization was later renamed Cadetes de la República (Cadets of the Republic) and Joaquín Rodríguez, a Nationalist, was placed in charge.
By order of Albizu Campos, the cadets adopted a military structure with companies in various towns of the island. Albizu Campos, who had served as a Lieutenant in the United States Army during World War I, believed that the cadets had to adopt a system of strict military training if they were to become a powerful Puerto Rican Army. He believed that a well-trained and disciplined army would eventually be able to fight against the United States imperialism which ruled the island. Albizu Campos often referred to the cadets as the Ejército Libertador de Puerto Rico (The Liberation Army of Puerto Rico).
Cadet headquarters were located at Número 11 de la Calle del Cristo in Old San Juan. The cadet organization was divided into companies throughout the cities and towns of Arecibo, Cabo Rojo, Cayey, Dorado, Guayama, Humacao, Isabela, Jayuya, Lares, Mayagüez, Naranjito, Ponce, Sabana Grande, San Germán, San Juan, San Lorenzo, San Sebastián and Utuado. San Juan was the only city with more than one cadet corps. Besides the main city, San Juan also had a cadets corps in the sectors of Hato Rey, Santurce and Río Piedras.
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