Puerto Rico Immigration form 1950s to Present

[Name of the Institute]

Puerto Rico Immigration form 1950s to Present

Introduction

Population growth and expansion of commercial agriculture at the end of the 19th century and the start of the 20th century led many inhabitants to leave the island of Puerto Rico. While many went to Cuba and the Dominican Republic and to other parts of Latin America, especially large groups immigrated to the United States, and they continued to come in the post-World War II years. The earliest migration of Puerto Ricans to the United States began shortly after an unsuccessful rebellion by Creole Puerto Ricans against the Spanish colonial government in 1868. Some of the leaders of the rebellion moved to the United States as political exiles. In this paper I will be discussing the historical events of the Puerto Rico immigration, the causes and aftereffects of this important immigration in the history of the United States.

Overview

Puerto Rico covers 3,515 square miles, facing the Atlantic Ocean to the north and the Caribbean Sea to the south. Puerto Rico was inhabited by Arawak Indians when Christopher Columbus first claimed the land for Spain in 1493. Within a few decades, virtually all the native peoples had died of disease, war, or forced labor. More than 95 percent of the population of 3,829,000 (2001) consider themselves Puerto Ricans. They are mainly descended from Europeans, most notably Spaniards, and some Corsicans, Irish, and Germans, with some Indian influences from the early period and a significant African component from the long period of slavery between the 16th and 19th centuries. Under the Spanish Crown, Puerto Rico remained relatively poor and enjoyed virtually no political rights. As a result, nationalistic rebellions broke out in the 1830s, 1860s, and 1890s (Acosta-Belen, 1986).

Through the Spanish-American War of 1898, the United States gained control of Puerto Rico (along with the Philippines and Guam) and in 1900 passed the Organic (Foraker) Act, which established a civilian government largely under the control of a governor appointed by the U.S. president. The Jones Act of 1917 provided more autonomy and conferred U.S. citizenship on Puerto Ricans but left most of the power in the hands of the governor. The Crawford-Butler Act of 1947 enabled Puerto Ricans to elect their own governor, and in 1952, a new constitution was authorized, making Puerto Rico a commonwealth in association with the United States. Apart from matters of foreign policy and currency, Puerto Rico is largely autonomous.

The debate over Puerto Rico's future course full independence, continued autonomy as a commonwealth, or full statehood in the Union; raged throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Economically, the commonwealth has benefited from its association with the United States, though not as much as many had hoped (Puri, 2004). Puerto Rico has the highest per-capita income among Caribbean islands, but it would have the lowest among the states of the United States. In a nonbinding 1998 referendum, 46.5 percent of Puerto Ricans voted for statehood, demonstrating how deeply divided the population remains on the ...