Search Help

How does this work?
There are many ways to search the collections of the Freedom Archives. Below is a brief guide that will help you conduct effective searches. Note, anytime you search for anything in the Freedom Archives, the first results that appear will be our digitized items. Information for items that have yet to be scanned or yet to be digitized can still be viewed, but only by clicking on the show link that will display the hidden (non-digitized) items. If you are interested in accessing these non-digitized materials, please email info@freedomarchives.org.
Exploring the Collections without the Search Bar
Under the heading Browse By Collection, you’ll notice most of the Freedom Archives’ major collections. These collections have an image as well as a short description of what you’ll find in that collection. Click on that image to instantly explore that specific collection.
Basic Searching
You can always type what you’re looking for into the search bar. Certain searches may generate hundreds of results, so sometimes it will help to use quotation marks to help narrow down your results. For instance, searching for the phrase Black Liberation will generate all of our holdings that contain the words Black and Liberation, while searching for “Black Liberation” (in quotation marks) will only generate our records that have those two words next to each other.
Advanced Searching
The Freedom Archives search site also understands Boolean search logic. Click on this link for a brief tutorial on how to use Boolean search logic. Our search function also understands “fuzzy searches.” Fuzzy searches utilize the (*) and will find matches even when users misspell words or enter in only partial words for the search. For example, searching for liber* will produce results for liberation/liberate/liberates/etc.
Keyword Searches
You’ll notice that under the heading KEYWORDS, there are a number of words, phrases or names that describe content. Sometimes these are also called “tags.” Clicking on these words is essentially the same as conducting a basic search.

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico was invaded by the US in 1898 after winning independence from Spain. An independence movement has thrived ever since that has reasserted a right to self-determination and an end to US colonialism. Includes extensive material on Puerto Rican Independentistas, political prisoners, prisoners of war* and land rights as well as struggles in the diaspora.

This collection contains sub-collections focused on political parties and organizations committed to the struggle for Puerto Rican independence, groups and organizations founded to support political prisoners and prisoners of war and general information. 

*Prisoners of War:
On October 12, 1970, UN resolution 2621 approved by the General Assembly, declared colonialism an international crime. Said resolution reaffirmed the right of any intervened, colonized nation to utilize whatever form of struggle is necessary to obtain its independence. Armed struggle, military resistance and whatever form of struggle that leads to the independence of nations that are colonized, invaded and occupied by foreign military troops, is recognized as a right by the UN. Puerto Rico, by virtue of being a colonial state is supported by International Law.

International Law is also very specific in reference to prisoners of war. According to the Geneva Convention, combatants who have declared themselves prisoners of war must be recognized as such. Those Puerto Ricans arrested were armed and accused of belonging to the Armed Forces of Puerto Rican National Libertion. The nature of the arrest and the US government's own indictment only serves to reaffirm that the eleven were combatants in the struggle for Puerto Rican independence at the time of their arrests. According to the Geneva Treaty, ratified by the UN in 1949, captured soldiers are prisoners of war. It is thus the argument of the eleven that they are prisoners of war.

Subcollections

  • Free Puerto Rican POWs and Political Prisoners
    The National Committee to Free Puerto Rican POWs and Political Prisoners, 1981-1998, campaigned around many issues, regarding the 15 Puerto Rican Political Prisoners and Prisoners of War.
  • Fuerzas Armadas de Liberacion Nacional (FALN)
    The FALN was an anti-colonial and anti-imperialist clandestine organization based in the diaspora using armed propaganda to advocate for Puerto Rican independence.
  • Libertad
    Bi-lingual newsletters produced from 1979-1998 by the Committee to Free Puerto Rican Prisoners of war. Libertad’s primary mission was to organize support for Puerto Rican prisoners of war incarcerated by the United States.
  • Movimiento de Liberacion Nacional
    Formed to analyze attempts by the US government to crush the Puerto Rican independence movement, and to form a new political vehicle to resist this oppression.
  • New Movement
    An anti-imperialist group in solidarity with the Puerto Rican Independence movement, it supported all aspects of the Puerto Rican Independence Movement- including clandestine groups on the island and in the Diaspora.
  • Puerto Rico Small Books and Monographs
    This collection contains books and monographs pertaining to the independence struggle of Puerto Rico. Many of these books were written by major figures in the Puerto Rican Independence movement and discuss a variety of topics.
  • Puerto Rico: A History of the People
    This collection contains documents detailing the various struggles of Puerto Ricans against foreign invaders from the arrival of the Spanish to the current occupation by the United States of America.
  • Que Ondee Sola
    Que Ondee Sola was established in 1972 and remains the oldest Puerto Rican/Latina/o university student publication in print.

Documents

WBAI News Coverage of Battleship Intrepid Takeover WBAI News Coverage of Battleship Intrepid Takeover
Date: 5/5/1984Call Number: LA 213AFormat: Cass ACollection: Puerto Rico
WBAI news coverage of the Battleship Intrepid Air and Space Museum takeover by members of A New Movement in Solidarity for Puerto Rico Independence and Socialism. The demonstration in New York was organized by the aforementioned members in opposition of “Ocean Venture 84.” The demands by the organization included a press conference, amnesty and an end to the United State’s intervention in the wars in Central America and their massive military maneuvers in the Caribbean.
LIBERTAD LIBERTAD
Publisher: National Committee to Free Puerto Rican Prisoners of WarYear: 1984Volume Number: Vol. V-IFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Libertad
Miller and Baraldini Convicted; Int\'l Victory in Legal Process Against POWs; Candlelight in the Streets; Cerro Maravilla: A Critical Analysis; The Maravilla Case; For Bolivar, By Way of Ganada; Court of the Gallows; El Grito de Jayuya; \"When You Struggle for Something Just\"; Chronology of Struggle; The Plight of the Homeless; communiqu
New Movement in Solidarity with Puerto Rican Independence and Socialism Newsletter New Movement in Solidarity with Puerto Rican Independence and Socialism Newsletter
Publisher: New Movement in Solidarity with Puerto Rican Independence and SocialismYear: 1984Volume Number: No. 18-20 MayFormat: PeriodicalCollection: New Movement
International Women's Day means Fight US Imperialism!; Grand Juries: Legal Means, Repressive Ends; US Armed Forces at War in Puerto Rico & Caribbean; Repression Escalates Against Independence Movement; Noya-Cintron Win Support in PR; Puerto Rican POWs: NO! To Inhuman Conditions; US Armed Forces At War; 50000 Protest "Ocean Venture"
Los Dias Conta Dos Los Dias Conta Dos
Author: Juan Antonio CorretjerYear: 1984Format: MonographCollection: Puerto Rico Small Books and Monographs
Poetry of Juan Antonio Corretjer.
Statement of Support Statement of Support
Authors: Maria Cueto, Steven Guerra, Julio, Andres Rosado, Ricardo RomeroYear: 1984Format: CorrespondenceCollection: Fuerzas Armadas de Liberacion Nacional (FALN)
Statement to wardens urging better treatment of FALN political prisoners
Plunder in Paradise: An Economic Overview Plunder in Paradise: An Economic Overview
Author: Tom BarryPublisher: Report on the AmericasYear: 1984Volume Number: November-DecemberFormat: ArticleCollection: Puerto Rico: A History of the People
New Movement in Solidarity with Puerto Rican Independence and Socialism Newsletter New Movement in Solidarity with Puerto Rican Independence and Socialism Newsletter
Publisher: New Movement in Solidarity with Puerto Rican Independence and SocialismYear: 1984Volume Number: No. 17 February-MarchFormat: PeriodicalCollection: New Movement