Some members of the PNP see these events as a spotlight on the unequal status that Puerto Rico possesses in the nation and, as a result, avidly promote the new referendum as a solution. If this was a move by the PNP to get their voters out, it seems to have worked. If no locally designed referendums have led to anything, maybe it is time that Puerto Rico tried something different. Sadly, however, the island cannot do this alone.
Sierra-Zorita believes the vote on status in will have no consequences, but she also said a potential alternative could be a binding referendum drafted in cooperation with Congress. However, we do not contextualize the debt with the fact that Puerto Rico is subject to the Jones Act, which means Puerto Rico can only receive goods shipped from U.
Similarly, we ignore the fact that the U. Moreover, most U. This presidential election was undeniably consequential for Puerto Rico. Senators like Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. Sign in. As part of the peace treaty in December , the colony was transferred to the U. How yellow journalism helped spark the Spanish-American War. Puerto Ricans continued to call for autonomy. In , the Foraker Act established a civilian government—but stopped short of conferring full rights on Puerto Ricans. Cabranes explains , white American legislators thought granting statehood to Puerto Rico would force the United States to admit the Philippines, which was another U.
In , that changed with the Jones-Shafroth Act. Seeking to address ongoing tensions on the island, Congress passed the law which gave most Puerto Ricans U. In response, Puerto Rico held a constitutional convention, establishing its own republican form of government and bill of rights.
In , Puerto Rico adopted the official name of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and a new constitution. Some scholars and policymakers contend the term is a mere moniker, as in the state names of Massachusetts or Pennsylvania.
Others say it gives Puerto Rico a special status as a new kind of legal entity that renders it neither a territory nor a state. Either way, Puerto Ricans lack some of the key rights of mainland Americans.
They are subject to federal laws, but lack voting representation in Congress: Though the Puerto Rican delegate in the U. House of Representatives may serve on committees and introduce bills, they cannot vote. See vintage pictures of life in Puerto Rico years ago. By that time, the U. Even as Puerto Rico attracted an influx of big American companies, and became a center for manufacturing and tourism, the decline of its agricultural industries led many islanders to seek employment opportunities in the United States.
As citizens of a commonwealth, Puerto Ricans can elect a non-voting representative in Congress and vote in presidential primaries, but cannot vote for president because Puerto Rico is not part of the electoral college.
Hundreds of thousands of voters left the second part of the referendum blank, however, leaving the question open for further debate. A fifth referendum in ended in a majority vote for statehood, but only 23 percent of voters a historic low turned out. In , the worsening economic crisis led its governor to announce that the commonwealth could no longer meet its debt obligations. Norton , House of Representatives. Library of Congress. Puerto Rico statehood referendum draws big support—but small turnout, CNN.
But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present. Located about a thousand miles southeast of Florida, Puerto Rico is a Caribbean archipelago with a complex colonial history and political status. Based on the archeological remains of Pre-Columbian people, the Puerto Rican archeologist, Don Ricardo Alegria, calculates that, at most, the island had some 30, inhabitants circa Although remaining subject to the same obligations sustained by the other indigenous vassals, the Complementary Declaration of July 28th, , established that those natives who were clothed, Christian, and capable could live their own lives.
In reality though, the declaration of equality did not end the colonial social class system.
0コメント