Puerto Rico In Crisis Analysis

Before we Critique the bourgeoisie in Puerto Rico, we must first understand how they came to be. How did a nation of enslaved people produce individuals who would rather subjugate themselves and other for fringe benefits? In the present day, Puerto Rico is officially known as the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. But make no mistake about it Puerto Rico is a colony. A colony that has never experienced freedom for the last 525 years. In 1493, Columbus landed on the island now known as Puerto Rico, claiming the island for Spain, even though a vibrant group of people, The Taino’s, already called the island home. From 1493 to 1898, the Spanish killed thousands of indigenous people and enslaved thousands of Africans, and robbed Puerto Rico of its natural

Juan Gonzalez discusses the historical relationship between Puerto Rico and the U.S. in Harvest of an Empire, interestingly enough the author’s family were a part of the surge of Puerto Ricans emigrated to New York in 1946. With the signing of the Treaty of Paris the Spanish-American War came to a close with Puerto Rico now under the control of the U.S. along with Cuba, Guam, and the Philippians. In 1900 the Foraker Act established Puerto Rico as a U.S. territory, but it had less autonomy than when under the control of Spain. The Foraker Act allowed the U.S. to dominate the economy of Puerto Ricans by replacing the peso with the dollar and not allowing for any outside commercial treaties. Challenges were unsuccessful with the dreadful ruling

I will be discussing how the country of Puerto Rico’s impact of resource scarcity, issues with boundary delineation, separatism and sovereignty issues, poverty, migration, legacies of colonialism and imperialism, global climate change and its impact. The once poor nation of Puerto Rico now seems to be a stepping stone for trading in the Caribbean. With its location in the Caribbean, Puerto Rico is a major asset for shipping lanes. One of the main reasons the U.S. wanted to take over this land. Its geographical location is important in helping to move resources around the world, as well as keeping an eye on Cuba. The economic system of

I relate each component with a historical event in Puerto Rican politics and also consider how through this historic mobilization Puerto Ricans have gained entitlement to more power, equality, representation, consciousness from other ethnic groups, and to some degree, social change. I focus on the Puerto Ricans’ migration to Connecticut, their development of ethnic awareness and power awareness, their realization of common interests, their competing ethnic projects, and the brokered representation they have endured as detailed in Jose Cruz’s book, Identity and Power: Puerto Rican Politics and the Challenge of Ethnicity. Finally, I examine an important point that Cruz only touched upon briefly, which is the idea of cultural citizenship in the Puerto Rican community. This added point helps us to fully understand the role identity politics played in Puerto Ricans’ lives.

Puerto Rico’s major political division is the Popular Democratic Party (PPD), which supports commonwealth rank for the island; has been the leading political party since 1940. The PPD was

I come from a place where patriotism runs through its citizen’s veins and where people face situations together, as the big community they are. In this place people are known to be loud and when someone has an issue, it becomes everyone’s issue. Puerto Rico may be relatively small in size, but big in its heart. Some people may argue that the heart of Puerto Rico is found on its people; while I debate that the heart of my beautiful island does not lie solemnly on its people, but on its cultural identity.

Many politicians have different views on what Puerto Rico should do. Should the island become a State, stay a Commonwealth, or become independent. Either way, it would benefit the island.

The establishment of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico as a United States territory has been prevalent since the Spanish-American War in 1898. Along with Puerto Rico, Spain also ceded Guam and the Philippines to the United States, Puerto Rico being the most populous of all U.S. territories, currently. As the result of being an unincorporated territory, all citizens born in Puerto Rico are proclaimed to be natural-born United States citizens, however are “disenfranchised at the national level” and therefore, cannot participate in Federal Elections. Although the island have already developed its own culture nearly wholly independent from the other states, there are many similar aspects that connect both Puerto

A recent documentary, The Last Colony, about the relationship between Puerto Rico and the US involved several Puerto Rican politicians who gave their opinion on the matter. Kenneth D. McClintock, Secretary of State of Puerto Rico and a firm believer of statehood, stated that “Statehood is the only antidote for what ails Puerto Rico” (Marquez). This is an example of people who firmly believe Puerto Ricans are Americans and we’re on a path to becoming a real American. On the other hand, María Lourdes Santiago, 25th Senate of Puerto Rico and Vice President to the Puerto Rico Independence Party, had this to say “We are not Americans. We will never be Americans.” (Marquez). This is an example of people who believe Puerto Rico is better off without the US and wish for

Puerto Rico, whose word meaning is “rich port” in Spanish, is a beautiful Island located in the middle of the Caribbean. Its strategic location made it a must have territory to the Spaniards who colonized it over four hundred years before the United States took a special interest. It all started in the year 1898, with the Treaty of Paris Puerto Rico now is property of the United States. After centuries of being led by Sevilla and Madrid, Puerto Rico was now forced to look upon Washington. The series of events leading the Spanish-American War changed Puerto Rico permanently. From changing the Island’s name from Porto Rico to Puerto Rico to Americanizing the Puerto Rican people in all ways possible, the acquisition of Puerto Rico from the United States had numerous economic, social and political impacts.

It is instead the leader's fault. Different from the United States Puerto Rico does not have state powers, simply because it is not a state. These powers include lack of voting representation in either House of Congress, the only delegate to the congress is the Resident Commissioner who is elected to represent the people, but does not have a vote for the final passage of congressional legislation.

Since Puerto Rico was first discovered by Christopher Columbus on November 19, 1493, and Spanish colonization ensued in 1508, Puerto Rico has experienced all of these pressures of identity and culture.

In order to lay the court foundation for the newly state of Puerto Rico, it is important to understand a brief, recent history and basic principles which make up the state. Puerto Rico is a commonwealth island located in the Caribbean about 1,000 miles southeast of Florida, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. In 1952, the people of Puerto Rico established a constitution, recognizing a republican form of government. (Berenshteyn, 2014) The island is under the jurisdiction of U.S. customs and allows free movement of people and commodities within the territory and the United States, which is significant because its climate, history, and the atmosphere makes the island a very popular tourist destination. However, the economic crisis has prompted a migration of Puerto Rican citizens to seek other horizons in the United States, leaving its population at just over 3.5 million people; one-third of the population is located in the capital, which is San Juan. (U.S. Census Bureau, 2015) The other two thirds are disbursed throughout the other divisions.

Not many may know that Puerto Rico is considered to be American territory. Soon people all over America will know because Puerto Rico could possibly become the fifty first state or could be separated from America completely. Most of Puerto Ricans would like statehood 61% to be exact, this citizens would like to be united with America once and for all. There are some Puerto Ricans would like to be free association and the amount is 33% citizens who want a relationship without political territory with a degree of statehood with America. The last percentage are the citizens who want to be independent which is 5%. As the percentage shows most Puerto Ricans would like to become the fifty first state of America and add one more star onto America.

The politics of Puerto Rico takes place in the framework of a republican democratic form of government that is under the jurisdiction and sovereignty of the United States as an organized unincorporated territory.