Christopher Columbus discovered Puerto Rico on his second voyage to the new world, on November 19, 1493, somewhere on the western shore, most likely in what is today the town of Aguada. They named the island San Juan Bautista (St. John the Baptist).
Spain granted autonomy to Puerto Rico, by decree, in November of 1897. Puerto Ricans held elections and on July of 1898 the autonomous government of the island began to exist, although not for very long.
A war between Spain and the United States, “The Spanish-American War”, broke out in April of 1898. On July 25, 1898, the United States invaded Puerto Rico. More than 16,000 American troops entered the island through the southwestern town called Guanica with virtually no opposition. The Spanish forces were defeated and the island’s autonomous government was officially changed to an American military government on October 18, 1898. The war ended officially on December 10, 1898.
By virtue of the Treaty of Paris, Spain ceded Guam, Philippines and Puerto Rico to the United States. These three countries therefore became possessions of the USA and a military form of government was established. Cuba was to become a protectorate of the USA.
On May 1, 1900 the government of the United States approved the Foraker Act which changed the military government to a civilian government and established the relationship of the USA with Puerto Rico. A lot of the provisions of this Act are still in force today.
Under this new type of government, the governor and his cabinet and the Higher House of Delegates (something like a Senate) were appointed by the President of the USA and approved by the North American’s legislature. The Local House of Delegates (something like the House of Representatives), was elected by popular vote. In addition, Puerto Ricans voted for a Resident Commissioner who represented Puerto Rico in the US House of Representatives… but had no vote.
Puerto Ricans grew immensely unhappy with this new form of government as they had taken a step backward into colonialism after being granted autonomy by Spain. Their citizenship was now in “limbo” as the island was not part of the USA nor was it a free country.
This citizenship ambiguity was solved in 1917. On March 2 of that year, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Jones Law. This law granted Puerto Ricans, or Boricuas as they are also called, the American citizenship. It also made Puerto Rico a territory of the United States. Furthermore, this law granted freedoms such as liberty of speech, freedom of press and presumption of innocence until proven guilty. It also created a Senate and a House of Representatives elected by popular vote. The governor was still appointed by the President of the USA. The Governor, the President or the US Congress could veto any law approved by the Puerto Rican Congress. Also Puerto Ricans became eligible to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces. From this time on, Puerto Ricans have played a major role in every USA military conflict with a great many hundreds dying in the name of this great country. U.S. Citizenship, you see, is not free!
Author Resource:-
Cesar Del Valle was born in Puerto Rico and lives in Texas. He maintains a popular site, www.boricuafirst.com in which he touches on subjects dear to Boricuas' (as Puerto Ricans are referred to) hearts. He can be contacted at letters@boricuafirst.com
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