Puerto Rico Statehood Society

Puerto Rico, officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (Spanish: Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico) (Puerto Rico Statehood Society 1) has been a U.S. neo-colony since 1898 when the island was colonized as a result of the Spanish losing the Spanish-American War. For 118 years Puerto Rico has occupied a peculiar status within the U.S. Political system. The United States has never had an established colonial policy and nearly all acquired territories eventually have been incorporated into statehood. The island remains an "unincorporated territory," belonging to, but not being a part of, the United States. Yet Puerto Rican 's, as people, have been American citizens since 1917. (Meléndez 1) As a result of Puerto Rico 's status as a U.S. territory, the citizens of Puerto Rico do not have any voting representation in the U.S. Federal government. Instead of outright representation through Senators and House

During the four centuries of Spanish rule, the island 's cultural and physical landscapes were transformed, with European knowledge, customs, and traditions being introduced, especially Roman Catholicism and the Spanish language. In 1898, following the Spanish–American War, Spain ceded the island to the United States under the terms of the Treaty of Paris (Mitchell 1). Almost from the very beginning, Puerto Rico spawned political movements that saw the future of the island very differently, as an independent nation or a state of the United States of America. The Independence movement has been a constant in Puerto Rico’s history, but has never reached a level that could register in the double digits as a percentage at the polls. For example, in 2012, in the last Puerto Rico status referendum, the independence option received only 4.4% of the vote.