Puerto Ricans had joined Cubans in New York to build support for the revolution against Spain. For several decades starting in the 1930s, the Nationalist Party in the U.S. brings attention to the Island's colonial status. In the 1940s and 50s, leaders such as Bernardo Vega and Jesus Colon join labor, socialist, and communist organizations. Through the 1950s and 60s, Puerto Ricans lead campaigns for increased political representation in government and build local community institutions.

By the late 1960s, the main organizations advocating for the rights of Puerto Ricans are the Young Lords Party, the Puerto Rican Socialist Party, El Comite, the Puerto Rican Student Union, the Armed Forces for National Liberation, the Movement for National Liberation, the Nationalist Party, and the Puerto Rican Independence Party.