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Rafael Cordero
Born October 24, 1790 in San Juan. Died July 5, 1868 in San Juan. Educator and abolitionist who provided free schooling to children of all backgrounds, becoming a symbol of educational equality.
His great interest and love for reading prepared and helped him to develop the skills and the capabilities to perform as a primary teacher. Since the beginning of XIX century he dedicated himself to the children teaching in his own house, without payment. For 58 years he maintained this educational center, at Luna Street in San Juan. He taught them to read, calligraphy, arithmetic and christian (catholic) instruction. Among the students were: Román Baldorioty de Castro, Alejandro Tapia y Rivera, José Julian Acosta, Francisco del Valle Atiles and others.
Román Baldorioty de Castro
Born February 23, 1823 in Guaynabo. Román Baldorioty de Castro was an educator, writer, political leader, and prominent advocate for the abolition of slavery and greater political rights for Puerto Rico. Born in Guaynabo, he became one of the most influential Puerto Rican thinkers and public figures of the nineteenth century. Baldorioty received his elementary schooling in San Juan. He went to Madrid on a scholarship and completed studies in Physical and Mathematical Sciences. He then went to France and studied in the Central School of Arts and Manufactures in Paris. In 1853 he returned to Puerto Rico and became a teacher in Botany and Maritime Sciences at the School of Commerce, Agriculture, and Maritime Studies in San Juan. From 1860 to 1865 he also was a delegate to the Spanish parliament. He is considered the father of Puerto Rican Autonomy from Spain, although his achievement was superseded by the U.S. annexation. The statesman fought to abolish slavery and establish a constitution guaranteeing the rights of islanders.
In 1870 he was elected to be a deputy to the Spanish Cortes, supporting abolitionist and autonomist causes. He founded and edited the magazine "Asuntos de Puerto Rico" and contributed to "Correo de Española." He returned to Puerto Rico in 1873 where he founded the newspaper "El Derecho" in Ponce. In 1878, he started a political weekly again in Ponce, "La Crónica," as a vehicle for his autonomist ideology. In 1887, he founded the Autonomist Party, whose platform advocated home government for Puerto Rico and representation in the Spanish parliament. But that year also saw a crackdown against political dissenters and Baldorioty was accused of publishing seditious propaganda and jailed in El Morro Castle. Despite his rapid release, his imprisonment affected his health and he died soon after on September 20, 1889 in Ponce.
