Puerto Rico

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Puerto Rico is an island located in the northeastern Caribbean Sea, which is an unincorporated territory of the United States. The islands of Puerto Rico were acquired by the United States in 1898, where Spain ceded the islands to the U.S.

In 1917, the Jones Act declared Puerto Rico to be an “organized but incorporated” territory of the United States, and granted US citizenship to all the residents who wanted it. An “unincorporated territory”, according to the US Supreme Court Insular Cases, of the Unites States is ‘a territory appurtenant and belonging to the United States, but not a part of the United States’. [Lawson p.1124] Since 1952, Puerto Rico, by mutual consent of its people and the United States government, has been a self-governing Commonwealth. [Langland p. 124.]

Under the Territorial Clause of the US constitution, Puerto Rico is subject to congressional jurisdiction. [Lawson p.1130] For over the past century, Congress has passed legislation that governs Puerto Rico’s relationship with the United States. For example, inhabitants of Puerto Rico hold U.S. citizenship, they can serve in the military, they are subject to federal laws, and are represented by a Resident Commissioner in the House of Representatives, that is elected to a four-year term. [Weaver p.50] But while residents can participate in the presidential nominating process, they cannot vote in the general election. And while Puerto Ricans pay federal tax on income that is derived from resource in the United States, they do not have to pay a federal tax on income earned in Puerto Rico. [Bea p. 2]

Several factors of the US-Puerto Rico relationship have been and continue to be debated. Some people argue for the Statehood of Puerto Rico, while others drive...

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...and. Vol. 28. Chicago Daily News, 1912. 124.

12. “The Puerto Rico Status Debate: Why Congress? Why Now?" LULAC. Web. 09 May 2011. .

13. Thornburgh, Dick. "The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources United State Senate Concering S. 244." Mar. 1991. p. 1-9. Http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/65855.pdf.

14. United States. Cong. Political Status of Puerto Rico Background, Options, and Issues in the 109th Congress. By Keith Bea. Cong. Bill. [Washington, D.C.]: Congressional Information Service, Library of Congress, 2005.

15. Weaver, Thomas, Nicolas Kanellos, and Fabregat Claudio. Esteva. Handbook of Hispanic Cultures in the United States. Houston, TX, 1994. p. 50-51.

16. Yehle, Emily. "PRFAA | News & Media." PRFAA | Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration | HOME. Web. 07 May 2011. http://www.prfaa.com/news/?p=948.

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