# Puerto Rican Separatists

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puerto-rican-separatists/142709>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 14, 2002, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puerto-rican-separatists/142709 "2002-12-14T07:46:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Daoloth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/82dd89/32.png) [@Daoloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daoloth)\
**Post date:** [December 14, 2002, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puerto-rican-separatists/142709/1 "2002-12-14T07:46:12Z")

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I’m aware that in 1954 Puerto Rican separatists stormed a session of the US Congress and shot five congressmen, but that’s all I know. I’m curious as to the rest of the story. Any good online articles? Thanks in advance.

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**Author:** ![TheeGrumpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@TheeGrumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheeGrumpy)\
**Post date:** [December 14, 2002, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puerto-rican-separatists/142709/2 "2002-12-14T16:07:02Z")

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According to [this story](http://www.rose-hulman.edu/~delacova/puertorico/macheteros.htm) from 1998, there were four assailants, and the five members of Congress were only wounded.

Thank you, Google.

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**Author:** ![TheeGrumpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@TheeGrumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheeGrumpy)\
**Post date:** [December 14, 2002, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puerto-rican-separatists/142709/3 "2002-12-14T16:09:37Z")

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And by “only wounded,” I mean that I read “shot” in the OP as “killed.” Silly me.

Here’s another [retrospective account](http://www.mndaily.com/daily/1996/05/01/news/rafael/).

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**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\
**Post date:** [December 14, 2002, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puerto-rican-separatists/142709/4 "2002-12-14T18:38:54Z")

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If you ever watch C-Sapn’s coverage of the House of Representatives, you’ll see they have these tan chairs with high backs. The backs are actually filled with bullet-proof material so that if someone starts shooting the members can duck behind the chairs. That’s at least one result of the attack.

–Cliffy

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**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\
**Post date:** [December 14, 2002, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puerto-rican-separatists/142709/5 "2002-12-14T20:01:49Z")

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Several years earlier, there was an assassination attempt against President Truman by members of a different Puerto Rican separatist group. [http://www.trumanlibrary.org/trivia/assassin.htm](http://www.trumanlibrary.org/trivia/assassin.htm)