Christopher Columbus discovered Puerto Rico on his second voyage to the New World on November 19, 1493. At that time Taino and Arawak Indian tribes populated the island. Expecting to find large amounts of gold, the Spanish quickly established a colony on the island. But the real value of Puerto Rico to the Spanish was its geographic position. It became the major stopover point from Spain to its New World Empire on this side of the Atlantic.

Because Spain was in constant conflict with other European powers, Puerto Rico was frequently attacked by rivals including the British, French and Dutch, as well as by pirates. In order to protect itself, Spain constructed El Morro Fortress and the walled city of Old San Juan and other defensive installations, which are still in excellent condition today. Puerto Rico’s first governor was Juan Ponce de Leon, who was appointed in 1509. He is buried in the Cathedral in Old San Juan.

Through the centuries starting in 1513, African slaves were introduced to the island, bringing to Puerto Rico its mix of European white, Black and Indian races. Slavery was outlawed in Puerto Rico in 1873. Spain kept Puerto Rico as a colony until the end of the 19th century, during which time it had lost most of its other colonies in South and Central America to domestic revolutions.

Spain’s control over Puerto Rico came to an abrupt end with the 1898 invasion of U.S. troops in Guanica, on the island’s south coast. Puerto Rico soon fell to the American troops. As a result of the Spanish American War, Puerto Rico was ceded to the U.S., along with the Philippines and Cuba at the Treaty of Paris on December 10, 1898. In 1900, the island passed from military to civilian authority with passage of the Foraker (Organic Act), which also established the island as a U.S. unincorporated territory. President McKinley appointed its first Governor, George Allen, later that year.

 

Spanish American War

In 1917, the U.S. Congress passed the Jones Act. Signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson, it extended U.S. citizenship to Puerto Ricans for the first time. It also established a locally elected Senate and House of Representatives, reflective of the organization of the Congress in Washington. Congress gave Puerto Rico the authority to elect its own governor, which it did in 1948. Luis Munoz Marin became the island’s first popularly elected governor. In 1951, Congress bestowed on Puerto Rico (through Law 600) the right for Puerto Rico to adopt its own constitution. Puerto Rico’s constitution was adopted by referendum, in 1952.

Munoz Marin founded the Popular Democratic Party (PDP) and was the dominant political figure in Puerto Rican politics from the 1940’s through the 1960’s. Munoz Marin died in 1980. He was followed by Roberto Sanchez Vilella in 1963. Under Munoz the concept of "Commonwealth" was created. This concept was a political balancing act that kept separatists of his party at bay, while providing for economic development through a scheme that harnessed U.S. business investment spurred by tax incentives.

This approach transformed Puerto Rico from what was known as the "Poorhouse of the Caribbean" to one of the highest standards of living in Latin America. Munoz was politically and intellectually close to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and saw what could be done with affirmative governmental intervention in the economy. However the governors built a monstrous public sector by creating public corporations to run almost everything--its telephone system, ports, tourism industry including ownership of hotels, water and power, and a wide range of other services. This approach worked up to a point, but was never able to give to Puerto Rico the convergence with U.S. standards of living that it had promised. Commonwealth status has kept Puerto Rico, until this day, in a twilight zone of semi-development, better than most of the struggling economies of the region, but still far inferior to the standards of living being enjoyed by other U.S. citizens on the mainland and in Hawaii and Alaska. What’s more, this program has cost U.S. taxpayers billions of dollars per year to support, both in lost revenues from federal tax incentives and in transfer payments and federal grants-in-aid.

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 1996, in the last Puerto Rico status referendum,the independence option received only 4.4% of the vote.

The statehood movement, on the other hand, has shown steady growth. Statehood received a big boost in the early sixties when the old Statehood Republican Party was joined by young progressive organizations to form the New Progressive Party (PNP) in 1967. By 1968, the new PNP had elected its first Governor, Luis Ferre. Although the Statehood Party’s hold on the office of governor would only last four years, this was a watershed election, because it showed the statehood movement had attained respectability with Puerto Ricans as a realistic goal to pursue for their island.

The PNP and PDP would both hold the governorship for significant periods over the next 24 years, including four terms by Rafael Hernandez Colon (PDP) and two by Carlos Romero Barcelo (PNP), who currently serves as Puerto Rico’s Resident Commissioner in Washington.

In 1992, the Statehood candidate, Dr. Pedro Rossello became governor. In the last referendum on island status in 1993, statehood support reached its highest level yet, polling 46.3% of the vote to Commonwealth’s 48.6%, with 4.4% for Independence. This was the first time since the advent of the PNP that Commonwealth did not gain a majority vote. Since that time, Governor Rossello was resoundingly re-elected for a second term with a solid 51.8%, a vote that shows continued growth in support for statehood.