In 1899, Jose Celso Barbosa and a group of supporters founded Puerto Rico’s first political party dedicated to promoting statehood with the United States. At the time, he explained, “[w]e want and we ask for equality. Not colonial control or protection. We [support] the same ideal of the American union with equality in rights and… Read more »
Posts Categorized: People
Puerto Rican Influence in the Presidential Election
On election day, the people of Puerto Rico will have no direct say in who becomes President of the United States. Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens. They serve in the U.S. military. But as a territory and not a state, Puerto Rico has no Electoral College votes, and its residents have no formal voice on election day. Yet… Read more »
Representing 3.7 Million U.S. Citizens in Congress – All Without the Power to Vote
While Puerto Ricans can’t vote in presidential elections and don’t have U.S.Senators to represent them, they do have someone speaking for them – their Resident Commissioner in the U.S. House of Representatives. Isn’t that just as good? One or two votes rarely change the result of a vote in Congress, and any speaker can potentially influence… Read more »
Should Puerto Rico’s Resident Commissioner Be Allowed to Vote?
Puerto Rico’s Resident Commissioner is officially nonvoting — but in the past those in this position have been allowed to vote on the floor, being asked to abstain only when their votes would make a difference to the outcome of a vote. Since a single vote rarely determines the outcome, Puerto Rico had a means… Read more »
Bilingual Instruction Grows in Puerto Rico
Governor Fortuño is working toward a bold program of bilingual instruction in Puerto Rico’s schools, mandating coursework in both the island’s official languages for all courses except history. The program is currently in a dozen schools, and is expected to roll out into first grade classrooms in 31 more schools, reaching all of Puerto Rico’s… Read more »
Charlie Hernandez Suspended from the PDP
The Popular Democratic Party (PDP) has removed Representative Charlie Hernandez from his leadership posts for announcing his intention to vote for the “free association” option on the upcoming plebiscite. There will be two questions on the ballot. First, voters will determine whether to continue in the current relationship Puerto Rico has with the United States…. Read more »
The People of Puerto Rico Seek Congressional Leadership to Resolve Their Territorial Status
Congressional Recognition of Puerto Rican Requests for Action Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-FL), House Floor Statement before House Session, June 21, 2017, Congressional Record, page H5004. In our democracy, only those who cast ballots are counted, and those who voted in Puerto Rico overwhelmingly chose statehood. It is now up to Puerto Rico’s elected officials, especially… Read more »
Senior Officials’ Statements on Puerto Rico’s Status
C. Kevin Marshall, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for President George W. Bush, Office of Legal Counsel, U.S. Department of Justice, Testimony before the Committee of Energy and Natural Resources, November 16, 2006. The Task Force issued its [2005] report last December and concluded that there were three general options under the Constitution for Puerto Rico’s… Read more »
Pierluisi makes the moral and practical case for statehood
On November 15, 2010, Puerto Rico’s Resident Commissioner, Pedro Pierluisi, addressed the Puerto Rico Statehood Students Association at George Washington University to discuss the importance of Puerto Rican statehood and the upcoming status plebiscite on the Island. In his remarks, Pierluisi stressed his belief that the question of statehood has both “a moral component and… Read more »
Geraldo Rivera Weighs in on the Question of Statehood
Journalist Geraldo Rivera shared his views on Puerto Rican statehood in a Fox News Latino article called, “Puerto Rico, the 51st State?”
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