My current research examines the connections between abolitionist and nationalist campaigns in nineteenth-century Puerto Rico. In particular, I study the concurrent development of pro-abolition and pro-independence ideologies in Puerto Rico to argue that the alliances among abolitionists and nationalists distinguished the nineteenth-century Puerto Rican context. In doing so, I challenge the traditional historiographical narratives that dismiss Puerto Rico in light of the more populous and profitable Spanish Caribbean colony of Cuba or paint Puerto Ricans as passive in the revolutionary movements of the time.  

First, I trace the development of second slavery and the legacies of the institution in nineteenth-century Puerto Rico and offer historical and historiographical context surrounding slavery, abolition, and revolutions in the Atlantic world. Then, I provide a nuanced investigation into Puerto Rican abolitionism and an analysis of the antislavery writings produced during this time. Finally, I analyze the development of Puerto Rican nationalism via the pro-independence propaganda produced by Puerto Rican nationalists during the nineteenth century. I examine the overlap in abolitionist and nationalist ideologies through an analysis of the antislavery and anticolonial propaganda produced by Puerto Rican revolutionaries.  

In analyzing pro-abolition and pro-independence publications, I posit that Puerto Ricans employed a shared rhetoric of liberation that linked antislavery and anticolonial ideologies, signaling the significant connections between abolitionist and nationalist campaigns in Puerto Rico’s nineteenth-century revolutionary context. In doing so, I argue for the importance of considering both abolitionism and nationalism, in tandem, as central to the island’s history. To learn more about this research and view the full text of my MA thesis, titled “Antislavery and Anticolonial Alliances in Puerto Rican Abolitionist and Nationalist Movements, 1800-1898,” please visit https://ufdc.ufl.edu/UFE0061178/00001/pdf.