2. Demographic Facts
Language: Spanish/English
Size: 115 miles from W to E and 42 miles from N to S
Population (2009 estimate) - 3,967,179
127th in the world; 27th in U.S.
As an unincorporated territory of the United States, PR does
not have any first-order administrative divisions (as defined by
the U.S. government), but has 78 municipalities at the second
level.
Subdivided into wards or “barrios”, and those into “sectors”.
Each municipality has a “mayor” and a “municipal legislature” elected for
a four year term.
4. Pre Colombian Era
What is known today about the indigenous population
of PR comes from scarce archaeological findings and
early Spanish scholarly accounts.
Fray Íñigo Abbad y Lasierra – wrote the first comprehensive book
of the history of Puerto Rico in 1786; almost three centuries after the
first Spaniards arrived on the island.
Few and rare cave drawings, rock
carvings and ancient recreational
activity sites that have been
identified with some degree of
speculation as to who left them
behind.
5. Spanish Colony
Between the 7th and 11th centuries the
Taíno culture developed on the island,
and by approximately 1000 AD had
become dominant.
Christopher Columbus - arrived in Puerto
Rico in November 19, 1493.
Island was inhabited by a group of Arawak
Indians known as Taínos who called the
island "Borikén" or, in Spanish, "Borinquen“
Columbus named the island San Juan
Bautista, in honor of Saint John the Baptist.
6. Slavery & Trade under Spain
Eventually, traders and other maritime visitors came to refer to
the entire island as "Puerto Rico", and "San Juan" became the
name of the main trading/shipping port.
In 1508, Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León became
the island's first governor to take office.
The importation of Sub-Saharan
African slaves was introduced to
provide the new manual work force
for the Spanish colonists and
merchants.
Coffee and Sugar Cane
7. Spaniards Forts
PR soon became an important
stronghold and a significant port for
Spanish Main colonial expansion.
Various forts and walls, such as La
Fortaleza, El Castillo San Felipe del
Morro and El Castillo de San Cristóbal,
were built to protect the strategic port
of San Juan from numerous European
invasion attempts.
The City of San Juan use to close its
gates at night.
San Juan served as an important port-
of-call for ships of all European nations
for purposes of taking on water, food
and other commercial provisions and
mercantile exchange.
8. PR Government under Spain
Ramon Power y Giralt was appointed as the first Spanish
parliamentary representative of the island, dying after serving a
three-year term in the Cortes.
His parliamentary and constitutional reforms were in force from 1810 to
1814 and again from 1820 to 1823.
The Spanish Crown revived the Royal Decree of Graces of
1815, printed in Spanish, English and French, with the intent to
attract Europeans of non-Spanish origin.
Hope for the independence movements to lose their popularity and
strength with an increase of new loyalist settlers with strong sympathies
to Spain.
As an incentive to immigrate and colonize, free land was
offered to those who wanted to populate the two islands on the
condition that they swear their loyalty to the Spanish Crown and
allegiance to the Roman Catholic Church.
9. Rebellion against Spain
“Grito de Lares” - Toward the end of the 19th century, poverty
and political estrangement with Spain led to a small but
significant uprising that began in the rural town of Lares but was
later subdued in the neighboring town of San Sebastián.
Leaders of this independence movement included Ramón Emeterio
Betances, considered the "father" of the Puerto Rican independence
movement, and other political figures such as Segundo Ruiz Belvis
and later under U.S. Pedro Albizu Campos .
10. PR Autonomous Government
In 1897, Luis Muñoz Rivera and others persuaded the
liberal Spanish government to agree to Charters of
Autonomy for Cuba and PR.
July 17 1898 – PR had it's first autonomous
government by General elections.
Was organized as an 'overseas province'
of Spain.
Maintained a governor appointed by Spain,
which held the power to annul any
legislative decision, and a partially elected
parliamentary structure.
11. Unites States & PR
Since 1894, the Naval War College start
formulating contingency plans for a war
with Spain.
1895 - Jorge Rodriguez Beruf, a researcher on
United States militarism in PR, wrote that PR
was considered valuable as a naval station
and for having abundant coffee and sugar.
1896 - the Office of Naval Intelligence had
prepared a plan which included military
operations in Puerto Rican waters.
On July 25, 1898, during the Spanish-
American War, PR was invaded by the
United States with a landing at Guánica.
As an outcome of the war, Spain ceded
PR, along with Cuba, the Philippines,
and Guam to the U.S. under the Treaty
of Paris.
12. Foraker Act 1900
U.S. and PR began a long-standing relationship - PR began
the 20th century under the military rule of the U.S. with
officials, including the governor, appointed by the President of
the United States.
Natural disasters, including a major earthquake, a tsunami and several
hurricanes, and the Great Depression impoverished the island during the first
few decades under U.S. rule.
The Foraker Act of 1900 gave PR a certain amount
of civilian popular government, including a popularly
elected House of Representatives, also a judicial
system following the American legal system that
includes both state courts and federal courts
establishing a PR Supreme Court and a United
State District Court; and a non-voting member of
Congress, by the title of "Resident Commissioner".
13. Jones Act
U.S. Citizenship
In 1917, "Puerto Ricans were collectively made U.S.
citizens” via the Jones Act. The same Act also provided
for a popularly elected Senate to complete a bicameral
Legislative Assembly, a bill of rights and authorized the
election of a Resident Commissioner to a four-year term.
As a result of their new U.S.
citizenship, many Puerto
Ricans were drafted into World
War I and all subsequent wars
with U.S. participation in which
a national military draft was in
effect.
14. “Gag Law”
On March 21, 1937 - a march was organized in Ponce by the
Puerto Rican Nationalist Party. It turned bloody when the
Insular Police opened fire upon unarmed and defenseless
cadets.
Nineteen were killed and over 200 were badly wounded, many in their
backs while running away. An American Civil Liberties Union report
declared it a massacre and it has since been known as the “Ponce
Massacre”.
1946 - President Truman appointed the first Puerto Rican-born
governor - Jesús T. Piñero.
On June 11, 1948, Piñero signed the "Ley de la Mordaza" (Gag
Law) or “Law 53” as it was officially known, passed by the
Puerto Rican legislature which made it illegal to display the
Puerto Rican Flag, sing patriotic songs, talk of independence
and to fight for the liberation of the island.
It resembled the anti-communist Smith Law passed in the United States
15. Public Law 600 (P.L. 81-
600)
In 1947, the U.S. granted Puerto Ricans the right to elect democratically
their own governor.
Luis Muñoz Marín was elected during the 1948 general elections, becoming
the first popularly elected governor of PR.
In 1950, the U.S. Congress approved
Public Law 600 (P.L. 81-600) which
allowed for a democratic referendum in
PR to determine whether Puerto Ricans
desired to draft their own local
constitution.
This Act left unchanged all the articles under the
Jones Act of 1917 that regulated the
relationships between PR and the U.S.
16. Rebellion against U.S.
On October 30, 1950, Pedro Albizu Campos and other
nationalists led a 3-day revolt against the U.S. in various cities
and towns of PR.
Jayuya Uprising – U.S declared martial law and attacked Jayuya with
infantry, artillery and bombers.
Utuado Uprising – culminated in what is known as the Utuado massacre.
On November 1, 1950, Puerto Rican nationalists Griselio
Torresola and Oscar Collazo attempted to assassinate
President Harry S Truman.
Torresola was killed during the attack, but Collazo was captured and
served 29 years in a federal prison, being released in 1979.
Don Pedro Albizu Campos also served many years in a federal prison in
Atlanta, GA for seditious conspiracy to overthrow the U.S. government in
PR.
17. PR Constitution
The Constitution of Puerto Rico was
approved by a Constitutional
Convention on February 6, 1952,
ratified by the U.S. Congress,
approved by President Truman on
July 3 of that year, and proclaimed by
Governor Luis Muñoz Marín on July
25, 1952.
The anniversary of the July 25, 1898
landing of U.S. troops in the Puerto
Rican Campaign of the Spanish-
American War.
18. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
“Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto
Rico”
Puerto Rico adopted the name of Estado Libre Asociado
(E.L.A.)
Literally translated as “Free Associated State”; officially translated into
English as Commonwealth.
The U.S. Congress legislates over
many fundamental aspects of PR
life, including citizenship, currency,
postal service, foreign affairs, military
defense, communications, labor
relations, the environment,
commerce, finance, health and
welfare, and many others.
19. Government and Politics
PR government is based on the formal republican system, and
is subject to U.S. jurisdiction and sovereignty.
PR's head of state is the President of the U.S. and its current
powers are all delegated by the U.S. Congress providing full
protection under the U.S. Constitution.
From 1952 to 2007, PR had have three
political parties which had stood for the
three distinct political scenarios struggling
to define its political status.
Three plebiscites have been held in recent
decades to resolve the political status, but no
changes have been attained.
20. The Popular Democratic Party (PPD) - seeks to maintain
the island's "association" status as a commonwealth,
improving it and/or seek a true free sovereign-association
status or Free Associated Republic. It has won a plurality
vote in referendums on the island's status held over six
decades after the island was invaded by the U.S.
The New Progressive Party (PNP) seeks statehood –
Complete U.S. annexation.
The Puerto Rican Independence Party seeks
independence, complete separation from U.S.
In 2007, a fourth party, the Puerto Ricans for Puerto Rico
Party (PPR), was ratified claiming that it seeking to address
the islands' problems from a status-neutral platform.
Non-registered parties include the Puerto Rican Nationalist
Party, the Socialist Workers Movement, the Hostosian
National Independence Movement, and others.
21. Three Branches
Executive - headed by the Governor, elected by
popular vote every 4 years. Currently Luis Fortuño
Legislative - consists of a bicameral Legislative
Assembly made up of a Senate (upper chamber)
and a House of Representatives (lower chamber).
The Senate is headed by the President of the
Senate, while the House of Representatives is
headed by the Speaker of the House. Legislators
are elected by popular vote every four years.
Judicial: is headed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of PR. The
legal system is a mix of the civil law and the common law systems.
Members of the Judicial branch are appointed by the governor with the
"advice and consent" of the Senate.
22. PR Judicial System
Courts all of General Jurisdiction
The Supreme Court is formed by 7 judges
A chief justice and six associate justices named by the Governor.
The structure of the Judicial System includes a Court of Appeals, Superior
Court, a District Court (civil & criminal), and Municipal Court.
There are 12 judicial districts.
The Commonwealth of PR also has a district court
comparable to those of the states of US.
United States District Court for the District of
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rican civil and commercial codes are
fashioned after Spanish models; penal,
procedural, and public (including constitutional)
law are fashioned after U.S. models.
23. International Relationships
While residing in PR, Puerto Ricans cannot vote in U.S. presidential
elections, but we can vote in primaries. Puerto Ricans who become
residents of a U.S. state can vote in presidential elections.
PR is represented in the U.S. Congress by a nonvoting delegate, formally
called a Resident Commissioner - currently Pedro Pierluisi.
Current legislation has returned the Commissioner's power to vote in the
Committee of the Whole, but not on matters where the vote would represent a
decisive participation.
As PR is not an independent country, it hosts no
embassies. It is host, however, to consulates from 41
countries, mainly from the Americas and Europe.
CARICOM (observer), ECLAC (associate), FAO
(associate), ICFTU, INTERPOL (sub-bureau), IOC, WCL,
WFTU, WHO (associate), WTO (associate).
Most consulates are located in San Juan.
24. Cornell University’s Observatory; Arecibo PR
April 16, 2008 -- Washington, DC –
Senator Hillary Clinton announced that
she introduced legislation to ensure
continued support for Cornell University’s
innovative Arecibo Observatory in Puerto
Rico.
