User:Geneilf/sandbox

On March 21, 1937, a peaceful march was organized by the Nationalist Party to commemorate the ending of slavery in Puerto Rico in 1873 by the governing Spanish National Assembly.There were a total of 29, 335 slaves freed. The slave owners were compenstated or the loss of their slaves,35 million pesetas were paid per slave. However, the freed slaves were obliged to continue working for three years after slavery was abolished. The slave were also not provided with political rights until five years afterwards.The news that the slaves were free was celebrated by most of the population.The police, under the orders of General Blanton Winship, the US-appointed colonial Governor of Puerto Rico, opened fire at the peaceful Puerto Rican Nationalist Party parade, bringing about what came to be known as the "Ponce massacre": 19 people (including two policemen) were killed and over 100 were wounded.^[55] On July 25, 1938, a little over a year after the Ponce massacre, Governor Winship ordered a military parade take place in the city of Ponce in celebration of the American invasion of Puerto Rico after the Spanish-American War. Such celebrations customarily took place in San Juan, the capital of the colonial government. At the parade, an attempt was made to assassinate Winship as he watch the parade, allegedly fifteen shots were fired by members of the Nationalist Party.This attempted assassination wounded a hundred people and caused the death of twenty one people.Even though they attempted to assassinate Governor Winship at the end of the parade he procedded to make his speech in which he explained the importance and the advantages of the relationship between America and Puerto Rico.Governor Winship explained that the relationship would improve Puerto Rico both socially and economically.Police reserves were sent out to handle the crowd though the police were not needed because ,the crowd had reformed after the shootings and remained calm throughout Governor Winship's Speech.