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113-607: In September 1868, the Revolutionary Committee of Puerto Rico launched the Grito de Lares ( Cry of Lares ) revolt against Spanish rule in the main island , carrying as their standard the Bandera del Grito de Lares (Grito de Lares Flag) , most commonly known as the Bandera de Lares (Lares flag) . Marking the establishment of a Puerto Rican national consciousness for the first time,

226-551: A 19-member senate and a 39-member house of representatives , all elected by the Puerto Rican people), and judicial . A bill of rights, which established elections to be held every four years, was also created. The act also made English the official language of the Puerto Rican courts. Section 27 of the Jones Acts deals with cabotage and requires that all goods by water between U.S. ports be carried in U.S.-flag ships, constructed in

339-512: A 4-day journey to Puerto Rico. Under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1898 , ratified on December 10, 1898, the United States annexed Puerto Rico. Proposed political status for Puerto Rico Proposed political status for Puerto Rico includes various ideas for the future of Puerto Rico, and there are differing points of view on whether Puerto Rico's political status as a territory of

452-591: A close relationship to the United States, similar in status to the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau. The United States provides defense and various forms of economic assistance to these countries and exercises control over their defense and security policy. Their citizens may work and attend schools in the United States, but are not U.S. citizens". There

565-644: A flag in Puerto Rico can be traced back to November 19, 1493 when Christopher Columbus landed on the island's shore, and with the flag appointed to him by the Spanish Crown, claimed the island , originally known by its native Taíno people as Borikén , in the name of Spain, calling it San Juan Bautista ( Saint John Baptist ) in honor of prophet John the Baptist , who baptized Jesus Christ . Columbus wrote in his logbook that on 12 October 1492 that his fleet carried

678-577: A haste action would lead to the same disastrous results experienced during Grito de Lares (Cry of Lares) revolt. Mattei Lluberas and the Puerto Rican Commission in New York had been trying to convince President William McKinley to invade Puerto Rico for some time. After the U.S. took control of Cuba, McKinley approved the invasion of Puerto Rico. A convoy of ships left Tampa, Florida and on July 21 another convoy departed from Guantánamo for

791-522: A los patriotas puertorriqueños que asistieron al mitin de Chimney Hall y fue aprobada unánimemente." Juan de Mata Terreforte, 18 de Mayo de 1923 which, translated in English , reads as: “The adoption of the Cuban flag with the colors inverted was suggested by the distinguished patriot Francisco Gonzalo Marín in a letter he wrote me from Jamaica . I made the proposition to Puerto Rican patriots who assisted

904-595: A means of dealing with Puerto Rico's financial crisis, since it would allow for bankruptcy and the relevant protection. According to the Government Development Bank, this might be the only solution to the debt crisis. Congress has the power to vote to allow Chapter 9 protection without the need for statehood, but in late 2015 there was very little support in the House for this concept. Other benefits to statehood include increased disability benefits and Medicaid funding,

1017-480: A non-territorial option. The second question presented three status options: statehood, independence or free association . Each option was to be an internationally recognized, constitutionally viable, non-territorial alternative to the current territory status. A bill was brought before the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico in 2011 to effect the governor's proposal. The bill passed on December 28, 2011. In

1130-480: A patriotic song, talk of independence or to fight for the liberation of the island. It resembled the anti-communist Smith Act passed in the United States in 1940. In 1947, the U.S. Congress passed the Elective Governor Act, signed by President Truman, allowing Puerto Ricans to vote for their own governor, and the first elections under this act were held on November 2, 1948. Luis Muñoz Marín, president of

1243-488: A right for its government agencies and municipalities to file for bankruptcy. The latter is currently prohibited. If the majority favor free association with the U.S. a Compact of Free Association would be negotiated, covering topics such as the role of the U.S. military in Puerto Rico, the use of the US currency, free trade between the two entities, and whether Puerto Ricans would be U.S. citizens. Statehood might be useful as

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1356-400: A senate), and a legislature with 35 members, though the executive veto required a two-thirds vote to override. The first appointed civil governor, Charles Herbert Allen , was inaugurated on May 1, 1900. On June 5, President McKinley appointed an Executive Council which included five Puerto Rican members and six U.S. members. The act also established the creation of a judicial system headed by

1469-400: A state, or by the termination of United States sovereignty over the area by the grant of independence, or by its surrender to the sovereignty of another country.” In other words, Congress could give Puerto Rico away to whomever it wanted, approve the territory's independence without the consent of Puerto Ricans, or admit it as a state. Cuba - It was handed over to the United States and not to

1582-474: A state. Independence would have severe changes also; Puerto Rico would be on its own and would no longer participate in U.S. politics; the people there would cease to be U.S. citizens. Free association is the same as independence, but usually every two decades or so an agreement is negotiated for things like visas, aid, defense, or currency agreements. There are three nations that maintain Free Association with

1695-552: A tiled, centered, five-pointed white star. According to the Archivo Digital Nacional de Puerto Rico (ADNPR) (National Digital Archive of Puerto Rico) , the flag, considered to be La Coronela (military flag), the most important flag that was used by the first company commanded by the colonel of the armies, was captured in 1868 by Spanish Captain Manuel Iturriaga, who led the repression of the revolutionaries of Lares, in

1808-535: Is "organized but unincorporated." Puerto Ricans were also collectively given a restricted U.S. citizenship. This implied that Puerto Ricans in the island did not have full American citizenship rights, such as the right to vote for electors for the president of the United States. The act divided governmental powers into three branches: executive (appointed by the President of the United States), legislative (consisting of

1921-553: Is a matter of self-determination for the people of Puerto Rico." The fourth Puerto Rico statehood referendum occurred on November 6, 2012. The result a 54% majority of the ballots cast against the continuation of the island's territorial political status, and in favor of a new status. Of votes for new status, a 61.1% majority chose statehood. This was by far the most successful referendum for statehood advocates. In all earlier referendums, votes for statehood were matched almost equally by votes for remaining an American territory, with

2034-403: Is absolutely nothing that the U.S. Congress cannot do with Puerto Rico; whether it be unilaterally granting independence, statehood, independence with a Free Association, selling or giving away the island of Puerto Rico to another country. The plenary powers of Congress have no limits with Puerto Rico. The only thing that is unconstitutional is the enhanced commonwealth; Obama states on page 24 that

2147-754: Is in the shape and colors of the Spanish flag , with two equal red stripes on either side and a larger yellow stripe in the center, which contains the coat of arms of Spain with the text BATALLON PROVISIONAL DE PUERTO RICO N° 3 (PROVISIONAL BATTALION OF PUERTO RICO No. 3) around it. Puerto Rico and Cuba became possessions of the United States as a result of the Spanish-American War of 1898, thus ending more than 400 years of Spanish rule on both islands. In December 1895, Juan de Mata Terreforte and other exiled Puerto Rican revolutionaries, many of them veterans of

2260-498: Is represented in the House of Representatives by an elected representative commonly known as the Resident Commissioner , who has the same duties and obligations as a representative, with the exception of being able to cast votes on the final disposition of legislation on the House floor. The Resident Commissioner is elected by Puerto Ricans to a four-year term and does serve on congressional committee . Puerto Ricans residing in

2373-438: Is strongly in favor of statehood to help develop the economy and help to "solve our 500-year-old colonial dilemma ... Colonialism is not an option ... It's a civil rights issue ... 3.5 million citizens seeking an absolute democracy," he told the news media. Benefits of statehood include an additional $ 10 billion per year in federal funds, the right to vote in presidential elections, higher Social Security and Medicare benefits, and

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2486-621: The Grito de Lares ( Cry of Lares ) revolt who fought alongside commander Manuel Rojas Luzardo , re-established the Revolutionary Committee of Puerto Rico under the name Sección Puerto Rico del Partido Revolucionario Cubano ( Puerto Rico Section of the Cuban Revolutionary Party ) as part of the Cuban Revolutionary Party in New York City , where they continued to advocate for Puerto Rican independence from Spain with

2599-417: The Grito de Lares (Cry of Lares) revolt. Yet at the same time, other historians claim that, despite the absence of primary sources to validate the flag, there is a long oral tradition of testimonies that authenticate it. The recently discovered Lares flag is quartered by a centered white cross, with two red squares on the fly side and two dark blue squares on the hoist side , the top of which bears

2712-569: The Grito de Lares (Cry of Lares) of 1868 and the Intentona de Yauco (The Attempted Coup of Yauco) of 1897, but it also gave financial support and weaponry to the Cuban independence efforts early in the Cuban Ten Years' War . Such weaponry included 400 Enfield rifles , 45 snider rifles , 110 carbines , 87 handguns and one cannon with 200 shells, culminated from hidden caches on Saint Thomas , Curaçao , and Haiti . On December 22, 1895,

2825-457: The de facto shade of blue. In August 1995, the government of Puerto Rico issued a regulation regarding the use of the flag in which it identified the colors to be used as "red", "white", and "blue" but did not specify any official color shades once again. With its promulgation, the government and people began to use medium blue as the de facto shade of blue, replacing dark blue as the most used color shade. In August 2022, an amendment bill

2938-422: The 2024 United States elections . The non-binding referendum had three choices: statehood, independence, and independence with free association. The top choice was 57% voted for Statehood from 528 thousand votes. To become a U.S. State, U.S. Congress must pass a bill and have it signed by the President and the bill cannot be repealed. There have now been four referendums in 12 years in favor of statehood, though

3051-516: The Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Puerto Rico y el Caribe (CEAPRC) (Center of Advanced Studies of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean), claims that primary sources like Pérez Moris’ account of the revolt prove that this flag is the authentic one created by the revolutionary forces of the “Republic of Puerto Rico” that was to be born from the Grito de Lares (Cry of Lares) revolt in 1868. In 1873, following

3164-599: The Constitution of Puerto Rico was approved by voters in a referendum, and the island organized as the Estado Libre Asociado (Commonwealth of Puerto Rico). That same year marked the first time that the Flag of Puerto Rico could be publicly displayed. Puerto Ricans and other U.S. citizens residing in Puerto Rico cannot vote in presidential elections as that is a right reserved by the U.S. Constitution to admitted states and

3277-543: The Cuban Liberation Army . Determined to affirm the absolute union of the Cuban and Puerto Rican struggle for national independence into a single, common cause, on December 22, with the knowledge and approval of their fellow Cuban revolutionaries, Terreforte, vice-president of the committee, and around fifty-eight fellow members gathered at the no longer existent Chimney Corner Hall in Manhattan , unanimously adopted

3390-462: The Lares flag is recognized as the first flag of Puerto Rico. In December 1895, 27 years after the failed revolt in Lares , exiled members of the committee , settled in New York City and in partnership with exiled Cuban rebels, replaced the Lares flag with the current flag of Puerto Rico as the new revolutionary flag to represent a prospective independent Puerto Rico, basing it on the flag of Cuba ,

3503-628: The Partido Revolucionario Cubano ( Cuban Revolutionary Party ), the unveiling of the new revolutionary Puerto Rican flag is described in Spanish as: "Terreforte, uno de los supervivientes del Grito de Lares , presentó la nueva bandera que es de la misma forma que la Cubana, con la diferencia de haber sido invertidos los colores: franjas blancas y triángulo azul en vez de rojo, con la misma estrella blanca solitaria en el centro." Acta Tercera del 22 de diciembre de 1895 which, translated in English , reads as: "Terreforte, one of

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3616-520: The Puerto Rico Status Act , which prepares the U.S. to support the island's decision. In the past commonwealth status was more popular then statehood, but since 2012, Statehood has taken the lead. Results of official referendums of those voting Statehood are as follows: 1967 - 274,312 (39.0%),1993- 788,296 (46.3%),1998- 728,157 (46.49%) , 2012- 834,191 (61.3%) , 2017- 508,862 (97.2%) , 2020- 655,505 (52.52%) , and 2024 528,379 (56.82%) however in

3729-481: The Revolutionary Committee of Puerto Rico identified the colors of their new flag as "red", "white", and "blue" but failed to specify any color shades. Relying on contemporaneous but secondary , oral sources , some historians have presumed that light blue was specifically adopted by the committee members, as their sources claim this was the same shade used on the Lares flag , the first revolutionary flag many of said members had rallied around in 1868. However, like with

3842-613: The Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. Since the early 20th century, some historians have questioned the authenticity of the flag, as there is no documentary evidence to validate that it was used in the revolt or that it was placed on the altar of the San José Parish in Lares, Puerto Rico . It has been speculated that this flag is not an original Lares flag, but a copy made in the 1930s by nationalists for their commemoration of

3955-526: The U.S. as a state, and medium blue, most commonly used by the government and people since the 1990s, representing the current intermediary status of commonwealth as an unincorporated and organized U.S. territory . Puerto Rico's flag ranked seventh out of 72 entries in a poll regarding flags of subdivisions of Canada and the United States conducted by the North American Vexillological Association in 2001. The introduction of

4068-647: The restoration of the Spanish kingdom in 1874 , until 1898, the year that the island became a possession of the United States under the terms of the Treaty of Paris (1898) in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War . Spanish-Puerto Ricans carried the war flag of the 3rd Battalion of Puerto Rico in the island , but most commonly in Cuba during the Cuban War of Independence against Spain between 1895 and 1898. The flag

4181-443: The standard carried by Cubans during their war of independence against Spain . The adoption of the Cuban flag with inverted colors as the new revolutionary flag of Puerto Rico symbolized the strong bonds existing between Cuban and Puerto Rican revolutionaries, and the united independence struggles of Cuba and Puerto Rico as the last two remaining territories of Spain’s once extensive American empire since 1825 . Members of

4294-470: The war of independence of the island, with approximately 2,000 Puerto Ricans falling in action, including Captain Francisco Gonzalo Marín Shaw . Puerto Ricans also made strategic contributions in battles led by Generals Juan Ríus Rivera and José Semidei Rodríguez , Colonels Juan Ortíz Quiñones and Epifanio Rivera, and dozens of other Puerto Rican officers and troops who served and fought in

4407-664: The 1970s. Due to billions of dollars of corporate investments, the growth rate was 6% for the 1950s, 5% for the 1960s, and 4% for the 1970s. Puerto Rico became one of the most affluent economies in Latin America. But it had to import 80% of its food. Operation Bootstrap was sponsored by governor Muñoz Marín. It was coupled with agrarian reform (land redistribution) that limited the area that could be held by large sugarcane interests. Operation Bootstrap enticed U.S. mainland investors to transfer or create manufacturing plants by granting them local and federal tax concessions, but maintaining

4520-470: The 2024 the option to continue the Commonwealth was not included. Also, the 2017 vote was criticized for low voter turn out due to a political boycott. To become a U.S. state, a bill must pass both houses of Congress with a simple majority and be signed into law by the U.S. President; one difference compared to other bills though is once passed it cannot be repealed. See also United States party politics and

4633-880: The Adoption of the Flag of Puerto Rico) in 1996. According to the scholar, the origin of the flag’s design traces back to June 1892 when Vélez Alvarado suffered a momentary "optical illusion... as if by a 'rare color blindness,’ in which he perceived that the red triangle of the Cuban flag had turned blue and the blue stripes red." Inspired by this experience, Vélez Alvarado created a new flag design for Puerto Rico. A few days later, according to Dávila, Vélez Alvarado presented his new design to Cuban pro-independence leader José Martí at dinner party attended by revolutionaries, including Marín Shaw . Martí, says Dávila, gave Vélez Alvarado his approval, and "soon after" he published in his newspaper, Patria , "a chronicle in which he emotionally described"

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4746-570: The Army) in Toledo, Spain. In 1872, the flag was mentioned in Historia de la insurrección de Lares… ( History of the insurrection of Lares…) , a chronicle on the Grito de Lares (Cry of Lares) written by Spanish telegrapher and journalist José Manuel Pérez Moris, a contemporary who had migrated to Puerto Rico from Cuba in 1869. Categorizing the flag as “ la verdadera bandera de Lares” (“the real flag of Lares”),

4859-492: The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The U.S. Congress had granted commonwealth status on Puerto Rico that enhanced Puerto Rico's political status from protectorate to commonwealth. They would have their own elected governor and other representatives. For the next half a century this was satisfactory to both parties. However, the status continues to spark political debates which dominate Puerto Rican society. The debate over Puerto Rico has also been discussed at various UN hearings where it

4972-576: The Cuban Liberation Army of the West. Mattei Lluberas purchased 30,000 machetes , which were to be distributed amongst the rebels. He returned to Puerto Rico with a Puerto Rican flag and began to proceed with the rebellion plans. The Spanish authorities found out about their plans. Mattei Lluberas demanded that the insurrection start immediately rather than in December. The other leaders feared that such

5085-546: The Cuban Revolutionary Party ), the Puerto Rican Revolutionary Committee was re-established as part of the Partido Revolucionario Cubano (Cuban Revolutionary Party ) in New York City , where many Puerto Rican and Cuban exiles had gathered. On the same day, Juan de Mata Terreforte and fellow members of the revolutionary committee, many of them veterans of the Grito de Lares (Cry of Lares) revolt, assembled at

5198-513: The Cuban Revolutionary Party ). The goal of the committee was to create a united effort by Cubans and Puerto Ricans to win independence from Spain in the second half of the 19th century. In 1868, Puerto Rico and Cuba , representing all that remained from Spain’s once extensive American empire since 1825 , began their struggle for independence. The revolutionary committee not only organized two revolts against Spanish rule in Puerto Rico ,

5311-551: The Cuban flag with colors inverted as the new revolutionary flag to represent a sovereign “Republic of Puerto Rico”, replacing the Lares flag , which had been used by revolutionaries as the flag of a prospective independent Puerto Rico since their attempt at self-determination in 1868 , but was eventually rejected, as it represented a failed revolt, a sentiment strongly supported by Lola Rodríguez de Tío , Puerto Rican poet, pro-independence leader, and committee member, who spent her later life exiled in liberated Cuba. Consecrated by

5424-683: The District of Columbia through the Electoral College system. Nevertheless, both the Democratic Party and Republican Party , while not fielding candidates for public office in Puerto Rico, provide the islands with state-sized voting delegations at their presidential nominating conventions. Delegate selection processes frequently have resulted in presidential primaries being held in Puerto Rico. U.S. Citizens residing in Puerto Rico do not elect U.S. Representatives or Senators , however, Puerto Rico

5537-502: The Dominican Republic in the two-nation island of Hispaniola —into an Antillean Confederation for the protection and preservation of their sovereignty and interests. In 1868, during the Grito de Lares ( Cry of Lares ) revolt, Francisco Ramírez Medina , having been sworn in as Puerto Rico's first president by the revolutionaries, proclaimed the Lares flag as the national flag of the "Republic of Puerto Rico,” and placed it on

5650-577: The Piedra Gorda neighborhood of Camuy, Puerto Rico after it was discovered on the farm of a revolutionary buried in one of two wooden boxes alongside hundreds of cartridges for militia rifles. After Iturriaga’s death, the flag was donated by his son to the Museo de Artillería de España (Museum of Artillery of Spain) . Since its discovery in 2022, the flag is exhibited at the Museo Del Ejército (Museum of

5763-538: The Puerto Rican Revolutionary Committee in New York City, where he met with Emiterio Betances, Terreforte, and Méndez Martinez to plan for a major revolt. Betances was to direct it, Mendez Mercado would organize it, and General Rius Rivera would command the armed forces. At the time, Ríus Rivera, who had joined the Cuban Liberation Army and José Martí 's struggle for Cuban independence, was the Commander-in-Chief of

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5876-466: The Puerto Rican Senate, successfully campaigned and became the first democratically elected Governor of the island on January 2, 1949. Puerto Rico continues to struggle to define its political status. In 1950, Washington introduced Operation Bootstrap , an attempt to transform Puerto Rico's economy to an industrialized and developed one, which greatly stimulated economic growth from 1950 until

5989-758: The Puerto Rico Section of the Cuban Revolutionary Party ), an account written by Puerto Rican senior committee member Roberto H. Todd and endorsed by fellow member José Julio Henna, president of the committee, at the end of the functions of the Puerto Rican Revolutionary Committee in 1898: "Acordosé además por la Asamblea adoptar como bandera de Puerto Rico el mismo pabellón Cubano con los colores invertidos, esto es: listas blancas y rojas y el triángulo azul con la estrella solitaria blanca…" Roberto H. Todd y José Julio Henna, Septiembre de 1898 which, translated in English , reads as: "It

6102-487: The Spanish-born, taking some of the store owners prisoner. By 2:00 AM, the Republic of Puerto Rico was proclaimed under the presidency of Francisco Ramírez Medina . The revolt was crushed by the Spanish militia, with some 475 rebels imprisoned. The event became known as the Grito de Lares ( Cry of Lares ). On December 22, 1895, under the name Sección Puerto Rico del Partido Revolucionario Cubano ( Puerto Rico Section of

6215-513: The Spanish-built fortifications in Puerto Rico, most notably on Castillo San Felipe del Morro and Castillo San Cristóbal . In 1868, Puerto Rican pro-independence leader Ramón Emeterio Betances , having gathered flag-making materials from Eduvigis Beauchamp Sterling, urged Mariana Bracetti to knit the revolutionary flag of the Grito de Lares ( Cry of Lares ), the standard of the first of two short-lived revolts against Spanish rule in

6328-585: The Supreme Court of Puerto Rico and allowed Puerto Rico to send a Resident Commissioner as a representative to Congress. The Department of Education was subsequently formed, headed by Dr. Martin Grove Brumbaugh (later governor of Pennsylvania). Teaching was conducted entirely in English with Spanish treated as a special subject. However, both Spanish and English were official languages in the island. On November 6,

6441-432: The U.S. states have all rights and privileges of other U.S. citizens living in the states. Several U.S. presidents have signed executive orders to define , study, and initiate activities regarding the political status of Puerto Rico. the three reports of 2005, 2007, 2011, indicate in particular: According to the 2005 Report of the President's George HW Bush Task Force on Puerto Rico, it contained this clear statement about

6554-463: The US Justice Department, but it did not have to be. Congresswomen Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) proposed on August 25, 2020 that the question of Puerto Rico's political status should be decided by a convention rather than a referendum. Velázquez and Ocasio-Cortez wrote: "Many in Puerto Rico would view Congress pushing statehood not as an end to colonization, but

6667-794: The Unincorporated Territory does not admit changes, it is what it is. When Washington, D.C., the Federal District was granted presidential voting rights in 1961, see District of Columbia federal voting rights , it took the Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution to make it legal. President Trumps statement Puerto Rico in 2016 was, "There are 3.7 million American citizens living in Puerto Rico. As citizens, they should be entitled to determine for themselves their political status. I am firmly committed to

6780-509: The United States should change. Puerto Rico is a Caribbean island that was a colony of the Spanish Empire for about four centuries until it was ceded in the Treaty of Paris to the United States in 1898. Over the 20th century, more rights were granted to the people, and especially important dates were in 1917, when U.S. citizenship was granted, and the 1950s and 60s, when it became a commonwealth of

6893-567: The United States, owned by U.S. citizens, and crewed by U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents. The act also allowed conscription to be extended to the island, and over 20,000 Puerto Rican soldiers were sent to the United States Army during the First World War . In the years after World War II , social, political and economic changes began to take place that have continued to shape the island's character today. The late 1940s brought

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7006-532: The United States. The U.S. Congress enacted the Foraker Act (also known as the Organic Act of 1900) sponsored by Senator Joseph B. Foraker , signed by President McKinley on April 2, 1900. This act established a civil government and free commerce between Puerto Rico and the United States. The structure of the insular government included a governor appointed by the president, an executive council (the equivalent of

7119-430: The United States. Congress can give Puerto Rico away, sell it, exchange it, or simply give it independence or statehood. In the 2007 Report of the President's Task Force on Puerto Rico, he expressed it again with the same clarity: “The plenary authority of Congress over a non-state area shall last as long as the area retains that status. It terminates when the area loses that status either by virtue of its admission as

7232-504: The United States. Referendums in the 1960s and 1990s supported this as the will of the people there, and they have their own elected officials and a non-voting representative in Congress. The U.S. has had many territories since its establishment, and it is a common practice, and currently there are 50 states and 5 inhabited territories. In the 21st century, the status quo was disrupted by a referendum in 2012 that tilted towards change, with one of

7345-589: The United States: Palau , Micronesia , and the Marshall Islands . Four major viewpoints emerge in principle: that Puerto Rico maintains its current status , becomes a US state , becomes fully independent , or becomes a freely associated state . Even though Puerto Rico was granted local autonomy in 1952, it remains a territory of the United States. On July 4, 1950, it was signed into law that Puerto Ricans could draft their own constitution establishing

7458-432: The United States; it would gain two senators and several representatives and would vote in the presidential election. Most U.S. Presidents going back to Ronald Reagan have stated they support Puerto Rico's right to determine its fate. If it continues its current status, some changes are possible but difficult; for example, for Washington D.C. to vote in presidential elections, it took a constitutional amendment because it's not

7571-420: The abdication of Amadeo I of Spain , and the overthrow of Monarchy for a Republic , the Spanish government issued a new flag for Puerto Rico. The provincial flag resembled the quartered Lares flag , with the difference that it featured the Spanish colors: all four squares in red, and the cross in yellow with the coat of arms of Puerto Rico in its center. The flags of Spain once more flew over Puerto Rico with

7684-521: The access to mainland markets free of import duties. Another incentive was the lower wage scales in the densely populated island. The program accelerated the shift from an agricultural to an industrial society. The 1950s saw the development of labor-intensive light industries, such as textiles; later, manufacturing gave way to heavy industry, such as petrochemicals and oil refining, in the 1960s and 1970s. Muñoz Marín's development programs brought some prosperity for an emergent middle class. The industrialization

7797-403: The beginning of a major migration to the continental United States, mainly to New York City , for work, and to remit money back to their families. The main reasons for this were an undesirable economic situation brought by the Great Depression, as well as heavy recruitment made by the U.S. armed forces and U.S. companies. Political changes began in 1946 when President Harry Truman designated

7910-423: The committee, with many of its members exiled in New York City alongside fellow Cuban revolutionaries, including Cuban national hero José Martí , officially became part of the Cuban Revolutionary Party . On the same day, a quarter of a century after establishing the Grito de Lares flag as the national flag of an independent Puerto Rico , the committee approved the current design of the flag of Puerto Rico as

8023-416: The culmination of it." Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González-Colón (R) replied on Twitter, "The people's decision is through everyone's vote, not a meeting of the few. Puerto Rico has voted three consecutive times for statehood and it's our tough reality that it's up to Congress to act." Another status referendum was scheduled for November 5, 2024, alongside the 2024 Puerto Rican general election and

8136-406: The current status. The 2017 plebiscite was to offer only two: Statehood and Independence/Free Association. If the majority vote for the latter, a second vote will be held to determine the preference: full independence as a nation or associated free state status with independence but with a "free and voluntary political association" between Puerto Rico and the United States. Governor Ricardo Rosselló

8249-436: The decision to Puerto Rico. President's Task Force on Puerto Rico's Status were published in 2005, 2007, and 2011. Nonbinding referendums regarding Puerto Rico's status have been held in 1967 , 1993 , 1998 , 2012 , 2017 , 2020 , and 2024 . The results of the referendums favored the current territorial status of Commonwealth territory, until 2012 when, for the first time, the majority of Puerto Ricans voted for Statehood as

8362-450: The design to Marín Shaw, a member of the Cuban Liberation Army from Puerto Rico who died fighting for independence in Cuba in 1897. In May 1923, responding to a letter from fellow committee member Domingo Collazo asking him to clarify the origin of the design adopted in New York City after reading several different versions about its origin in the Puerto Rican newspapers, Terreforte, who presented

8475-406: The design to members of the committee in 1895, credits the idea of a design based on the Cuban flag with colors inverted to Francisco Gonzalo Marín . The original response of Terreforte in Spanish reads as: "La adopción de la bandera Cubana con los colores invertidos me fue sugerida por el insigne patriota Francisco Gonzalo Marín en una carta que me escribió desde Jamaica. Yo hice la proposición

8588-458: The evening. As such, the historian asserts that the flag of Puerto Rico was known to revolutionaries a couple of years before it was formally adopted in 1895. Puerto Rican professor of history Armando Martí Carvajal has refuted Davila’s findings based on the fact that none of his sources are primary sources . Carvajal contends that Martí never actually confirmed any of the claims made by Davila, explaining that Martí did wrote on many occasions about

8701-484: The event, both referendum questions were placed on a single ballot for voting on November 6, 2012. The New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico endorsed statehood. The Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico endorsed the current Commonwealth position; it called for abstention in the second question. The Puerto Rico Independence Party endorsed the independence position. During the 2012 U.S. presidential campaign , leading candidates for both major parties said they supported

8814-622: The first European explorer and governor of Puerto Rico , proceeded to conquer and settle the island in 1508, displacing, enslaving, and killing the native Taíno people. They carried the royal standard of the Crown of Castile , the emblem representing the Spanish Monarchy , and the Cross of Burgundy , the military standard representing the Spanish Empire , the latter of which continues to be flown on

8927-552: The first Puerto Rican, Commissioner Resident Jesús T. Piñero , to serve as the island's governor . On June 10, 1948, Piñero signed into law what became known as the Ley de la Mordaza ( Gag Law ), officially Law 53 of 1948, which started as a bill passed by the Puerto Rican legislature , presided by Luis Muñoz Marín , in May 1948. The new law made it illegal to display the Puerto Rican flag , sing

9040-535: The first elections under the Foraker Act were held and on December 3, the first Legislative Assembly took office. Federico Degetau took office in Washington as the first Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico on March 14, 1901. The Jones Act was approved by the U.S. Congress on December 5, 1916, and signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson on March 2, 1917. The law made Puerto Rico a United States territory which

9153-447: The flag as a precious symbol representing the ideal of Patria y Libertad (Homeland and Liberty). In Acta Tercera ( Third Act ) of Memoria de los trabajos realizados por la Sección Puerto Rico del Partido Revolucionario Cubano, 1895–1998 ( Memoir of the works accomplished by the Puerto Rico Section of the Cuban Revolutionary Party, 1895–1898 ), a recollection on the activities of the Revolutionary Committee of Puerto Rico arranged by

9266-456: The flag of 1895, which appears in one of its oldest color depictions in the early 1900s with a medium blue, there is no written primary source account specifying the original color shade of blue used on the Lares flag , the only two surviving original renditions of which feature different shades: one uses light blue and the other dark blue. In July 1952, after several failed attempts by the insular elected government of Puerto Rico to formalize

9379-429: The flag of Puerto Rico, but in these cases he was referring to the Lares flag , not to the new flag. Unlike Carvajal, Cuban professor Avelino Víctor Couceiro Rodríguez supports Dávila’s findings, citing as evidence the same secondary written accounts used by Dávila, including the assertions made by historian Cayetano Coll Toste and lawyer José Coll Cuchí , respected contemporaries who identified Vélez Alvarado as

9492-600: The flag was taken from the altar of the San José Parish of Lares by Spanish Captain José de Perignat, who kept it until his family donated it to Fordham University in New York City . In 1954, the university then gifted the flag to the Museum of History, Anthropology and Art of the University of Puerto Rico in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico , then headed by Alegría, and in 1988, it was restored by

9605-441: The high altar of the San José Parish in Lares, Puerto Rico , making it the first Puerto Rican flag. There were several flags made for the revolt, but only two have survived to this day. The oldest known Lares flag is quartered by a centered white cross, with two bottom red rectangles and two top light blue rectangles, the left of which bears a tiled, centered, five-pointed white star. According to anthropologist Ricardo Alegría ,

9718-891: The island, using as design the quartered flag of the First Dominican Republic , which was inspired by the Haitian and French flags, and based on the regimental flags of the Kingdom of France , and the lone star of the Cuban flag , which was inspired and based on the American flag . The fusion of the Dominican and Cuban flags to make the Puerto Rican Lares flag was aimed at promoting the union of neighboring Spanish-speaking Greater Antilles —the single- nation islands of Cuba and Puerto Rico, and

9831-495: The longer existent Chimney Corner Hall in Manhattan, substituted the Grito de Lares flag and adopted the Cuban flag with colors inverted as the new revolutionary flag to represent a prospective “Republic of Puerto Rico.” Recognized as the flag of Puerto Rico by the majority of the Puerto Rican people since its adoption in 1895, it officially became the standard of the island in 1952. In 1897, Antonio Mattei Lluberas visited

9944-514: The meeting at Chimney Hall and it was unanimously approved." Juan de Mata Terreforte, May 18, 1923 For its part, La Asociación Manatieña Amigos de la Bandera ( Manatieña Association Friends of the Flag ) credits fellow Manatieño Vélez Alvarado for the design based on the studies of Puerto Rican archeologist and historian Ovidio Dávila, most famously presented in El Centenario de la Adopción de la Bandera de Puerto Rico (The Centenary of

10057-482: The most favored options being statehood. Though questions have been asked about the referendums in 12 years, four referendums have all had statehood as the most favored option. The power to change its status lies in the United States Congress; a simple majority in both houses and the presidential signing into law makes it possible. However, the changes are dramatic, with Puerto Rico becoming fully integrated into

10170-529: The native forces that aspired to independence, after the end of the Spanish-American War in 1898. Philippines, Guam and Puerto Rico - Sold to the United States in 1898 at the end of the war, for $ 20,000,000. On the other hand, the Task Force of President Barack Obama, 2011, provides the same, but adds the parameters for Free Association: "Free Association would provide for an independent Puerto Rico with

10283-555: The new revolutionary flag to represent a sovereign “Republic of Puerto Rico ”. On September 23, 1868, the Revolutionary Committee, led by Betances, declared independence in the city of Lares, Puerto Rico , calling it the Republic of Puerto Rico. Some 400–600 rebels gathered in the vicinity of Pezuela, on the outskirts of Lares. The rebels walked and rode to the town, arriving by midnight. The forces took over city hall and looted stores and officies owned by "peninsulares" or

10396-596: The original designer of the flag. In 1922, Coll Toste , the official historian of Puerto Rico between 1913 and 1927, described the designer of the flag in Boletín Histórico de Puerto Rico, Tomo IX (Puerto Rico Historical Bulletin, Volume IX ) as follows: "Se dice que dicha bandera fue dibujada por el Señor Antonio Vélez Alvarado." Cayetano Coll Toste, 1922 Revolutionary Committee of Puerto Rico The Revolutionary Committee of Puerto Rico ( Spanish : Comité Revolucionario de Puerto Rico, CRPR )

10509-468: The political status of Puerto Rico . Before 1898 Puerto Rico was a Colonial possession of Spain, the main focus of this background is the 20th and 21st century in relation to the Uniteds States of America. Puerto Rico became an American territory in 1898 when, as per the terms of the Treaty of Paris which concluded the Spanish–American War , Spain ceded the island (and several other possessions) to

10622-413: The preferred option (61%) of those vote. The results were highly controversial: many ballots were left blank and the results were criticized by several parties. The federal government provided funding for a subsequent referendum. In each, successive referendum Statehood has won including the latest in 2020 and 2024, with support ranging from about 60 to 90 percent. In the United States Congress this lead to

10735-603: The process where Puerto Ricans might resolve their status according to Constitutional and Congressional protocols. I believe the people of Puerto Rico deserve a process of status self-determination that gives them a fair and unambiguous choice on this matter. As president I will do my part to insure that Congress follows the Constitution. The will of the Puerto Rican people in any status referendum should be considered as Congress follows through on any desired change in status for Puerto Rico, including statehood." Trump one in 2016, and

10848-417: The referendum process. Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney said: "I will support the people of Puerto Rico if they make a decision that they would prefer to become a state; that's a decision that I will support. I don't have preconditions that I would impose." President Barack Obama had also supported the referendum, writing, "I am firmly committed to the principle that the question of political status

10961-569: The relationship between the United States and Puerto Rico: “The Federal Government may surrender U.S. sovereignty by granting independence or ceding territory to another nation; or it may, as provided for in the Constitution, admit a territory as a state, thereby rendering the Territory Clause inapplicable. The U.S. Constitution allows no other options.” [As an Enhanced Commonwealth] Ceding territory to another nation only means giving Puerto Rico away or selling it, as happened in 1898 from Spain to

11074-437: The remainder for independence. Support for U.S. statehood has risen in each successive popular referendum. Because there were almost 500,000 blank ballots in the 2012 referendum, creating confusion as to the voters' true desire, Congress decided to ignore the vote but provided funding for a future referendum. The previous plebiscites provided voters with three options: statehood, free association/independence and maintaining

11187-457: The revolutionary flag of 1895 as the standard of the archipelago and island , the government adopted it as the official flag of Puerto Rico with the establishment of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , identifying its colors by law as "red", "white", and "blue" but not specifying any official color shades. However, the government began to use a dark blue matching the blue of the American flag as

11300-637: The right to vote in Presidential elections and the higher (federal) minimum wage. At approximately the same time as the referendum, Puerto Rico's legislators are also expected to vote on a bill that would allow the Governor to draft a state constitution and hold elections to choose senators and representatives to the federal Congress. Regardless of the outcome of the referendum, action by the United States Congress would be necessary to implement changes to

11413-483: The royal standard of the Crown of Castile , representing the Spanish Monarchy , and La Capitana , the captain’s expeditionary ensign featuring, on a white background, a green cross in the center and an 'F' and 'Y', both green and crowned with golden, open royal crowns, for Ferdinand II of Aragon and Ysabel , the Catholic Monarchs of a unified Spain . Conquistadores under the command of Juan Ponce de León ,

11526-417: The shade displayed is used to show preference on the issue of Puerto Rico’s political status , with light blue, presumably used by pro-independence rebels in 1868 and 1895, representing complete independence from the U.S. , and sovereigntism or independence as a sovereign freely associated state with the U.S., dark blue, used by most functionaries since 1952, representing statehood or integration into

11639-574: The spilled blood of the thousands of Puerto Ricans who had fought and died in Cuba during the war of independence , the new flag was described by Bentances , Padre de la Patria (Father of the Homeland), as la sagrada bandera de la patria (the sacred flag of the homeland). Following not only Betances , but also national heroes Martí and Ruís Rivera , both of whom approved of the flag, pro-independence leaders from Puerto Rico, including Luis Muñoz Rivera , José De Diego , and Pedro Albizu Campos , revered

11752-594: The status of Puerto Rico under the Territorial Clause of the United States Constitution . In 2018, the 2018 Puerto Rico Admission Act was introduced to United States Congress. The bill was introduced to U.S. Congress by Jenniffer González Colón, and had 34 co-sponsors; it would of mandated the PR becoming a state of the Union by start of 2021. A yes-no vote on statehood was held on November 3, 2020. It had not been approved by

11865-516: The status quo was upheld. Following the recommendations of the President's Task Force on Puerto Rico's Status reports, in October 2011, Governor Luis Fortuño set August 12, 2012 as the date to hold the first part of a two-step status plebiscite. The first question was whether voters want to maintain the current commonwealth status under the territorial clause of the U.S. Constitution or whether they prefer

11978-660: The support of Cuban national hero José Martí and other Cuban exiles, who similarly began their struggle for self-determination in 1868 when the Grito de Yara ( Cry of Yara ) revolt triggered the Ten Years' War ( Guerra de los Diez Años) for independence against Spanish rule in Cuba , which, along with Puerto Rico , represented all that remained from Spain’s once extensive American empire since 1825 . Revolutionaries from Cuba and Puerto Rico not only shared their exile in camaraderie and solidarity, but they also honorably fought and died together in battlefields across Cuba during

12091-498: The survivors of the Cry of Lares , presented the new flag that is in the same way as the Cuban one, with the difference that the colors have been inverted: white stripes and blue triangle instead of red, with the same lone white star in the center." Third Act of December 22, 1895 The flag is mentioned in Spanish for a second time in the same memoir under Memoria de la Sección Puerto Rico del Partido Revolucionario Cubano ( Memoir of

12204-499: Was U.S. President from 2017 to 2021, and won the election again 2024. On July 23, 1967, the first plebiscite on the political status of Puerto Rico was held. Voters overwhelmingly affirmed continuation of Commonwealth status (with 60.4% voting to remain a commonwealth, 39% voting to work towards statehood , and 0.6% wishing for independence ). Other referendums have been held to determine the political status of Puerto Rico, in 1993 and in 1998 . Both times, although by smaller margins,

12317-578: Was also agreed by the Assembly to adopt as the flag of Puerto Rico the same Cuban flag with the inverted colors, that is: white and red bands and the blue triangle with the white lone star..." Roberto H. Todd y José Julio Henna, September 1898 The name of the designer of the newly created Puerto Rican flag does not appear in the chronicle. The origin of the design remains contested between exiled Puerto Rican revolutionaries Francisco Gonzalo Marín Shaw and Antonio Vélez Alvarado . Terreforte attributes

12430-582: Was declared a colony of the United States by the UN Special Committee on Decolonization at certain points but not others. For example, in 1952 it was removed from the colony list due to its Commonwealth freedoms after having been put on it after WW2. However, it was put back on the list since 1972 by the UN committee, pushing for its self-determination and even independence. Various US presidents have expressed themselves in favor of statehood but ultimately left

12543-467: Was founded on January 8, 1867 by pro-independence Puerto Rican exiles such as Segundo Ruiz Belvis , Ramón Emeterio Betances , Juan Ríus Rivera , and José Francisco Basora living at the time in New York City and re-established in 1892 as an affiliate of the Cuban Revolutionary Party under the name Club Borinquen and in 1895 as a segment of said Cuban party under the name Sección de Puerto Rico del Partido Revolucionario Cubano ( Puerto Rico Section of

12656-703: Was in part fueled by generous local incentives and freedom from federal taxation, while providing access to continental US markets without import duties. As a result, a rural agricultural society was transformed into an industrial working class. On July 4, 1950, President Harry S. Truman signed Public Act 600, which allowed Puerto Ricans to draft their own constitution establishing the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The U.S. Congress had granted commonwealth status on Puerto Rico that enhanced Puerto Rico's political status from protectorate to commonwealth. This, coupled with Muñoz Marín's reversal on not pursuing Puerto Rican Independence angered some Puerto Ricans. On July 25, 1952,

12769-462: Was unsuccessfully introduced in the Puerto Rican Senate which would have established the current medium blue, an azul royal (royal blue) , as the official color of the flag. To this day, the color shades of the flag of Puerto Rico have never been officially determined by law. Therefore, it is common to see the equilateral triangle of the flag with different shades of blue . Occasionally,

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