Does the us own puerto rico: Why Isn’t Puerto Rico a State?

100 Years of Puerto Rico: Puerto Rico Becomes a U.S. Territory

The United States made a deal 100 years ago today, on March 2, 1917, when the Jones-Shafroth Act became law making Puerto Rico a territory of the United States.  The passage of the law guaranteed U.S. citizenship to Puerto Ricans born on or after April 25, 1898. The legislation was sponsored by Rep. William Jones (D-Va.), chairman of the House Committee on Insular Affairs, and Sen. John Shafroth (D-Colo.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Pacific Islands and Puerto Rico.

The Jones–Shafroth Act (39 Stat. 951-968) / photo courtesy Jane Fitzgerald, National Archives and Records Administration.

After Spain ceded Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines to the United States in the Treaty of Paris on December 10, 1898, Puerto Rico was ruled by the U.S. military and a governor appointed by the President of the United States. The Foraker Act of 1900 ended military rule and provided for a “temporary civil government for Porto Rico. ”  Luis Muñoz Rivera, who had fought with Tulio Larrínaga for sovereignty for Puerto Rico since it belonged to Spain, argued for citizenship for Puerto Ricans and an civil government before and after the passage of the Foraker Act, which did not provide for citizenship. Although Theodore Roosevelt advocated for Puerto Ricans to have U.S. citizenship during his visit to the island in December 1906, and Larrínaga, Muñoz Rivera and others continued to push Congress for these rights, there were no legal changes until the Jones-Shafroth Act.

The act established a framework for a new government for Puerto Rico, including a bicameral legislature, a governor, an executive council appointed by the president; and a legislature made up of a Senate consisting of 19 members and a 39-member House of Representatives.  The act separated the executive, legislative and judicial branches, revised the judicial system to include a Supreme Court and a U.S. District Court, provided for a non-voting resident commissioner in Congress and provided for the civil rights of the individual.

Young man with Puerto Rican flag, ca. 1970 / by Frank Espada [//hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ds.02977]

It was the then-resident commissioner, Luis Muñoz Rivera , who argued eloquently for Puerto Rico to have political autonomy and become part of the United States. As he demanded of Congress on May 5, 1916:

 ”Give us now the field of experiment which we ask of you… It is easy for us to set up a stable republican government with all possible guarantees for all possible interests. And afterwards, when you… give us our independence… you will stand before humanity as a great creator of new nationalities and a great liberator of oppressed people.”

Sadly he died in November 1916 of cancer, shortly before the act was passed. However, the final form didn’t wholly meet up with his goals. The act was superseded by the Commonwealth Act of 1952 which granted more autonomy to Puerto Rico’s government. However, that act did not change the citizenship rights granted by the Jones-Shafroth Act: Puerto Rico and the Puerto Ricans are still part of the rich diversity of the United States.

A mere two months later, Puerto Rico demonstrated its commitment and value to its nation when the Selective Service Act of 1917 was passed on May 18. Some 20,000 Puerto Rican men were conscripted and served the United States in World War I.

Looking for current legal materials from Puerto Rico? Here is a list of some of our latest arrivals to the collection, and some of our stalwart titles:

KGV2914 1952 C66 2015 Puerto Rico. Constitución del Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico.

KGV40 1954a  Puerto Rico. Leyes de Puerto Rico anotadas.

KGV40 1954  Puerto Rico. Laws of Puerto Rico annotated.

KGV4447.M34 A84 2014  Alvarado Tizol, Héctor M. Litigación en casos de impericia médica.

KGV2921.A95 2009 Álvarez González. Jose Julian. Derecho constitucional de Puerto Rico y relaciones constitucionales con los Estados Unidos: casos y materiales.

KGV304.A66 A3 2014 Aponte Toro, Roberto P. Primera estación.

KGV3205.F45 2014  Feijoó, José Roberto. Derecho laboral gubernamental.

KGV327.F66 2014  Fontánez Torres, Érika.  Ambigüedad y derecho : ensayos de crítica jurídica.

KGV602.G37 2015 García Cárdenas, Margarita E. Manual de propiedad horizontal: la Ley de condominios y esquemas jurídicos.

KGV2636.G669 2015 González Colón, Luis F. El Perito Psicológico Forense: desde la Consejería Profesional Licenciada y aliados de la salud en Puerto Rico.

KGV2919.h57 2014 Hernández Colón, Rafael. Estado Libre Asociado: naturaleza y desarrollo.

KGV3635.A28 2016  Legislación y documentación sobre las bibliotecas, los bibliotecarios y algunas instituciones de información en Puerto Rico.

KGV3588.L67 2014 López Cruz, Tamara. Un monstruo llamado D.E.: desenmascarando la verdad de la educación especial en Puerto Rico.

KGV1331.M66 2014 Montañez Miranda, Félix J. Lealtad fiduciaria de directores y oficiales.

ΚGV516.Ο782 2014 Ortega-Vélez, Ruth E. Derechos y obligaciones de los abuelos: derecho puertorriqueño.

KGV801.R63 2014  Rodríguez Urbano, Jesús Antonio, 1977- La mora en el contrato de transacción judicial.

KGV215.S74 2016 Steidel Figueroa, Sigfrido. Ética para juristas: ética del abogado y responsabilidad disciplinarian.

Is Puerto Rico Part of the United States?

The answer to the question:

Is Puerto Rico part of the United States?

depends on your interpretation of what the word ‘part’ actually means. It is officially a territory of the United States rather than a State or a Country of its own.

Table of Contents

When Did The United States Gain Control over Puerto Rico?

On July 25, 1898, the United States invaded Spanish-controlled Puerto Rico during the Spanish-American war. Like Alfred Thayer Mahan and William H Seward, several top US Navy officers strongly advocated for capturing or purchasing Puerto Rico.

Approximately one year later, on April 11, 1899, Spain signed the Treaty of Paris, ceding Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines to the United States.

When did Puerto Rico become a US Territory?

Initially, Puerto Rico was governed by the US Military. A governor and several other officials were appointed directly by the President of the United States.

In 1900, the Foraker Act granted Puerto Ricans some say in their government, allowing them to elect a local House of Representatives. Despite this concession, the upper legislative house and the governor were still appointed by the US government.

The Foraker Act established a United States district court with jurisdiction over Puerto Rico, brought the territory in line with the American judicial system, and gave it a Supreme Court of its own.

It also granted the island a representative to Congress, although this non-voting “Resident Commissioner” was still appointed, not elected. Finally, while the act extended many US laws to the unincorporated territory, Puerto Ricans were exempt from US tax laws.

In 1914, the Puerto Rican congress voted unanimously for independence from the United States. However, the US Congress claimed that this was “unconstitutional” and violated the Foraker Act.

Puerto Ricans As US Citizens

The United States’ relationship with Puerto Rico continued to develop in 1917 with the passage of the Jones-Shaforth Act. This act gave all Puerto Ricans born after mid-1898 US Citizenship. The Puerto Rican government objected to this law, claiming that it simply existed to make Puerto Ricans eligible for the draft.

Puerto Rico and Self-Governance

Puerto Rico again made a bid for independence in 1936. Millard Tydings, a US senator, introduced a bill supporting Puerto Rico’s independence. However, the bill was opposed by Luis Munoz Marin and the Liberal Party of Puerto Rico, ultimately leading to the measure being rejected.

In 1947, Congress passed the Elective Governor Act, giving Puerto Ricans the power to vote for their governor. Elections were held the following year, in 1948.

In 1948, Puerto Rico’s government passed a bill that restricted the rights of Puerto Ricans to campaign for independence. The so-called Gag Law (or Ley de la Mordaza) was similar to anti-communist legislation passed in the United States over the previous decade. It made it illegal to print or distribute anti-government material, organize a group that was critical of the government, sing patriotic songs, or display the flag of Puerto Rico.

The law was repealed in 1957.

Drafting a Puerto Rican Constitution

In 1950, Congress gave Puerto Rico the right to assemble a constitutional convention. Voters were given an up or down vote on a proposed US statute to turn Puerto Rico into a “commonwealth” and continue US control of the island with the new constitution.

The constitution (and Puerto Rico’s status as a commonwealth) was approved in March 1950 by 82% of voters. Puerto Rico changed its name to Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, which translates to “Associated Free State of Puerto Rico.”

Is Puerto Rico a state?

SInce 1950, Puerto Rico has held many votes about the island’s status. In 1967, 1993, and 1998, the results of these votes were fairly close, with some debate over what various options meant. In 2012, however, a two-question referendum was voted on.

For the first question, 54% of Puerto Ricans declared that they were unhappy with the island’s current status. For the second question, 61% voted to become a US state, 33% voted to become a sovereign state associated with the United States, and 5% voted for independence.

In 2016, Barack Obama signed a law that established a Control Board over Puerto Rico’s government. This board has the power to effectively overrule any decisions made by Puerto Rico’s congress, executive, or other branches of government. This law hinges on the constitution’s section on US territories, which gives the federal government the ability to “make all needful rules and regulations” (concerning said territories).

In 2020, the territory of Puerto Rico again held a vote on its future. This one-question vote asked if Puerto Rico should immediately become a state. 52% of respondents voted yes.

When Did Puerto Rico Become Part Of The United States?

Puerto Rico entered US control on April 11, 1899, but Puerto Ricans were not US Citizens until 1917. As a result, Puerto Rico was not allowed to elect its governor until 1947.

While it can now elect its local government, the US federal government maintains control over the island. A 2016 law gives a control board the ability to overrule self-elected officials. However, Puerto Rico remains a territory, not a state, and while it is part of the United States, it is not a state and has little influence over the US federal government.

Chasing the dream: how a real “crypto-utopia” is being built in Puerto Rico

03. 02.2018

ForkLog

#Brock Pierce#cryptocurrency state#puerto rico

After a breakthrough year for cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies in 2017, the current one turned out to be not so rosy for the industry. In particular, many countries have begun to significantly tighten the regulation of digital money, trying to “tighten the screws” as tightly as possible.

Therefore, it is not surprising that some blockchain companies have begun to look at countries with more comfortable conditions for doing business. And if the Chinese miners, whom the government began to systematically survive from the country, went to the west, then large entrepreneurs from the United States, on the contrary, went to the east.

A group of just such crypto-enthusiasts has taken a fancy to Puerto Rico, where they decided to build their own “crypto-utopia” city. The New York Times correspondents went to see how they were doing.

ForkLog offers a short translation of their impressions.

Eternal Boys Playground

They called their creation Puertopia. True, then someone told them, supposedly in all seriousness, that this is translated from Latin as “the playground of the eternal boys.” So now the Puerto Rican crypto city has a new name – Sol.

Dozens of entrepreneurs who made their fortunes on the boom of blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies have set their feet en masse in Puerto Rico this winter. They sell their houses and cars in California and become residents of this Caribbean island in the hope of avoiding the burden of federal taxes on their wealth, some of which reaches billions of dollars.

And these men (since almost all of them are men) have a plan for how to manage their wealth: they want to build a “crypto utopia”, a new city where money is virtual and all contracts are public, and show the whole world what the crypto future can look like . Blockchain, the distributed ledger on the basis of which all digital money is created, is able to irreversibly change the usual society – and Puertopians want to prove it in practice.

For more than a year, entrepreneurs have been looking for a suitable location. After Hurricane Maria destroyed the infrastructure of Puerto Rico in September and the price of the cryptocurrency began to rise at a huge pace, they saw a new opportunity.

As a result, this crypto community flocked here to create their own paradise. Now investors are looking day after day for suitable sites where they could build their own airports and ship docks. They bought hotels and a museum in the historic district of the capital, called Old San Juan. They say they are a few steps away from getting local government approval to open the first cryptocurrency bank.

“A perfect coincidence happened here. While it was very bad for the people of Puerto Rico, it was a godsend in the long run,” said Halsey Minor, founder of CNET news site Halsey Minor, whose new blockchain company Videocoin will also move from the Cayman Islands to Puerto Rico this winter.

Entrepreneurs are attracted to the country with unprecedented tax conditions: no federal personal income taxes and favorable business taxes – all without renouncing US citizenship. Currently, the local government is friendly towards crypto-utopians. In March, the governor will even speak at their blockchain summit called Puerto Crypto.

What does it cost us to build a “cryptoray”

The newcomers are still debating what kind of Puertopia should take. Some people think that they need to build a city from scratch, others just want to occupy Old San Juan.

Bitcoin Foundation Chairman Brock Pierce became one of the most prominent figures in the industry during the crypto boom. He co-founded blockchain startup Block.One, which raised about $200 million in EOS cryptocurrency during an ICO. Now the market capitalization of the coin is about $6.5 billion.

As a child, he was an actor in Hollywood, and he first encountered digital money as a gamer, when he “mined” and sold game gold in the notorious World of Warcraft. Pierce is a controversial figure, having been sued for fraud in the past. Among other things.

Brock Pierce

From time to time he shows a group of entrepreneurs a video on his smartphone – “The Great Dictator” Charlie Chaplin. One phrase inspires him the most: “More than cars. We need humanity.”

“I’m worried that people will misunderstand us. They’ll think we’re just trying to avoid taxes in Puerto Rico,” , Pierce says.

He also talked about plans to create a charity token ONE, in which he wants to invest a billion dollars from his own funds.

“If you remove MY [eng. mine] from the word “money”, then there will be ONE” , adds Pierce.

Puerto Rico no rubber!

At the same time, all over San Juan, locals are trying to figure out what to do with the “crypts who have come in large numbers”. Some are open to new ideas and additional investment.

“We welcome crypto business” , said Erica Medina-Vecchini, head of business development at the Department of Economic Development and Commerce.

Others worry that the country is being used as an experiment and even talk about the threat of “crypto-colonialism”. However, many local businessmen are satisfied.

“I think it’s great. Lure them with taxes, and they will spend money here” , says the owner of the pizzeria Estella Richard Lopez.

At one time, Lopez and his childhood friend also wanted to start a bitcoin farm in their hometown, but constant power outages made this task impossible.

The move is alarming for a previous generation of tax expatriates like hedge fund manager Robb Rill, who leads a social group to take advantage of favorable terms.

“They call me and say they’re buying 250,000 acres to build their own city. Literally a new city in Puerto Rico to create your own crypto world. I can’t take part in this” , – said Rill, who moved to the island in 2013.

Andria Satz, who grew up in Old San Juan and now works for the Puerto Rico Conservation Trust, agrees.

“We have become a tax playground for the rich. We became test subjects on which they are experimenting. Outsiders get tax breaks, and locals don’t even get permits.”, she is sure.

Whether this experiment will succeed, only time will tell.

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Puerto Rico: San Juan – Travel & More – LiveJournal

September 4th, 2017, 06:05 pm

juan

Puerto Rico: San Juan

Puerto Rico has belonged to the United States since 1898, when the Americans took it from Spain (along with the Philippines). Spanish is still spoken there, but they dream of becoming the 51st state. But Congress is not in a hurry, because if Puerto Rico becomes a state, it will immediately top the ratings of the most criminal and poorest states, at the same time it will reduce the per capita GDP in the country a little, and this is somehow zashkvarno.

Paradise beaches on neighboring small islands.

Tropical forests in the depths.

This is the capital city of San Juan.

By the way, the oldest city in the US by a wide margin. If we take only full-fledged states, then the oldest will be the city of St. Augustine (Saint Augustine) in Florida.

San Juan is rather big, there is even a subway, but the tourist part is only a long and narrow cape, which was originally an island.

Transport in Puerto Rico is very, very bad. In the US, in comparison, everything is simply divine. There is no intercity transport on the island at all. There are only “collective taxis”, like in third world countries, only the prices for them are more like the prices of first class trains in Switzerland. San Juan has city buses. The official site proudly promises buses from the airport every 10-15 minutes, in fact, I waited more than an hour, but didn’t wait at all, I had to spend almost $ 20 on a taxi (for 6 kilometers). Taxis in Puerto Rico are just such giant jeeps, like, they come here on vacation with a whole family of five and with ten suitcases, nothing less.

Puerto Ricans are diligently learning the redneck from their American overlords.

Prices are about the same as on the mainland.

The hostel was outside the old town, but I walked there in about an hour. The area is pretty nice too.

Street signs. Spanish names.

Lettering in English and Spanish. In English, traditionally ornate and inventive, in Spanish they do not bother.

Installation.

Bicycle path leading to the old town. This place used to be a strait that made old San Juan an island.

Graffiti.

But this is clearly in the American style: the government house (capitol). Empire as it is.

The old town of San Juan and its two fortresses are listed by UNESCO.

Monument to Columbus. He really visited here during his expeditions.

The old town is similar to other Spanish colonies. It is carefully kept, as they know how to do in America.

The sidewalks, however, are narrow.