How Puerto Rico Became a US Commonwealth

[Music] it's the world's oldest Colony claimed by Christopher Columbus on behalf of the Spanish monarchy in 1493. but today is it a state a territory or something else and what is the connection between the United States and Puerto Rico The Story begins when Spanish colonists arrive to meet the Taino people who had lived there for more than a thousand years after a brief period of peaceful coexistence a war erupted and the Spanish took the island it soon became known as Puerto Rico or Rich Port after the busy Harbor Town on the North Coast it remained part of the Spanish Empire for over 400 years until in 1895 the Islanders rebelled for their independence and that's when the United States got involved a U.S battleship on route to rescue American citizens living on the island was sunk by the Spanish United States authorized the use of force and Spain declared war the Americans invaded the colony securing an easy victory the Treaty of Paris ended the Spanish-American war and officially conceded the island to U.S control declared an unorganized territory rather than a colony most but not all Puerto Ricans were given United States citizenship in 1917 when the U.S Congress passed the Jones shafroth Act by 1940 the nationality act finally granted all people in Puerto Rico U.S citizenship by birth 12 years later it officially became the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico a debated term that means it is neither a state nor an independent country as such Puerto Rico is governed by United States federal law but its citizens are unable to vote in presidential elections despite the fact that its population has voted for full United States statehoods six times Puerto Rico remains stuck in a kind of constitutional limbo but it isn't the only U.S territorial island with limited representation others include Guam American Samoa the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S Virgin Islands in 2020 the United Nations special committee on decolonization drafted a call on the U.S to recognize Puerto Rican self-determination but to this day their status has not changed what arguments could you make for Puerto Rico becoming the 51st state [Music] [Applause]

Channel: Untold History

Views: 5,115

Keywords: USA, Puerto Rico, US Commonwealth, US State, State Law, US Constitution, US Law, The Spanish-American War, Colonization, The Spanish Empire, Caribbean, Rights, The United Nations, N Special Committee on Decolonization, Territory, Protectorate, The 51st State, San Juan Bautista, US Congress, US Citizenship, The Nationality Act of 1940, Guam, American Samoa, The Northern Mariana Islands, The US Virgin Islands, The Treaty Of Paris, Republic, Immigration, Jones-Shafroth Act, San Juan

Id: SeGd8ApO1HY

Length: 2min 45sec (165 seconds)

Published: Wed Sep 07 2022