In this paper Puerto Rico's history as one of colonial oppression and a struggle for national self-definition is described. The divergent conceptions of patriotism, national liberation, and human freedom as voiced by leaders of the national elite and of the Puerto Rican working class are discussed in terms of traditional themes in the culture. Attention is then turned to the related opposition of these two classes' understanding of migration and its impact on national cohesion and identity. Finally, the cultural expression of Puerto Ricans in the United States is interpreted and contrasted with official policies and institutions developed under the Commonwealth to explain and orient the emigrant community. It is concluded that today's Puerto Rican workers, who are "grappling to lend contours to a collective identity that has been battered and twisted by colonialism," have many lessons to learn from their working class forebears in the United States and Puerto Rico. (Author/WI)