In 1950, the Puerto Rican National Guard bombarded a pro-independence uprising

War is Boring takes a look at Puerto Rico’s history with this account of the 1950s bombing of a pro-independence uprising:

In November 2017, more than a month after Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico, territory residents continue to die due to lack of access to electricity and running water.

The troubled recovery effort highlights questions over U.S. sovereignty over the island. Puerto Ricans are American citizens, and indeed a majority of Puerto Ricans — five million — live on the U.S. mainland.

However, the 3.4 million residing on the archipelago cannot vote for president, do not pay federal taxes are required by law to import all goods from the United States at high prices and do not have any voting representation in Congress.

The population of Puerto Rico exceeds those of North and South Dakota, Vermont, Wyoming and Alaska combined. Those states together have 10 senators and five voting representatives in Congress. Puerto Rico has none.

However, for years Puerto Ricans voted in referendums to maintain the island’s ambiguous status as a commonwealth, or “free associated state”. A nosediving economy caused both by failures in local governance and policy changes in Washington have caused support for statehood to rise in recent years.

But more than a half-century ago, local nationalists staged a dramatic but little-known revolt seeking just opposite — full independence from the United States.