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The United States Capitol shooting incident of 1954 was an attack on March 1, 1954, by four Puerto Rican nationalists; they shot 30 rounds from semi-automatic pistols from the ''Ladies' Gallery'' (a balcony for visitors) of the House of Representatives chamber in the United States Capitol. They wanted to highlight their desire for Puerto Rican independence from US rule. The nationalists, identified as Lolita Lebrón, Rafael Cancel Miranda, Andres Figueroa Cordero, and Irving Flores Rodríguez, unfurled a Puerto Rican flag and began shooting at the 240 Representatives of the 83rd Congress, who were debating an immigration bill. Five Representatives were wounded, one seriously, but all recovered. The assailants were arrested, tried and convicted in federal court, and given long sentences, effectively life imprisonment. In 1978 and 1979, they were pardoned by President Jimmy Carter; all four returned to Puerto Rico. ==Background== After 400 years of colonial domination under the Spanish Empire, Puerto Rico received its autonomy in 1898 through a ''Carta de Autonomía'' (Charter of Autonomy). This Charter of Autonomy was signed by Spanish Prime Minister Práxedes Mateo Sagasta and ratified by the Spanish Cortes.〔Ribes Tovar et al., pp. 106–109.〕 Just a few months later, the United States defeated Spain in the Spanish–American War and took over rule of the island as part of the Treaty of Paris. The U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt declared that "It is manifest destiny for a nation to own the islands which border its shores."〔Perkins, Dexter (1937), ''The Monroe Doctrine, 1867-1907'', Baltimore Press; p. 333.〕 The United States long considered Puerto Rico of strategic interest and wanted to retain control. In 1901, Charles Herbert Allen, the first civilian U.S.-appointed governor of Puerto Rico, became president of the American Sugar Refining Company, the largest sugar-refining company in the world. This company was later renamed as the Domino Sugar company. In effect, Charles Allen leveraged his governorship of Puerto Rico into a controlling interest over sugar interests on the island.〔Ribes Tovar et al., pp. 122–144.〕 By 1930, over 40 percent of all the arable land in Puerto Rico had been converted into sugar plantations, which were entirely owned by Charles Allen and U.S. banking interests. These bank syndicates also owned the entire coastal railroad, and the San Juan international seaport.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「United States Capitol shooting incident (1954)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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