Why has Puerto Rico never become either independent or an incorporated state of the United States of America?

Term Paper (Advanced seminar) , 2020 , 27 Pages , Grade: 1,7

Politics - Region: USA

The research question of this work is "Why has Puerto Rico never become either independent or an incorporated state of the United States of America?" and focuses on making visible the reasons for the absence of a decision for a clear status of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

The first part of the paper will briefly outline the history of the Caribbean island before the main part will examine historical speeches, documents, status referenda, special events and monographs concerning Puerto Rico and the reasons for the lack of incorporation or independence from both the Puerto Rican and the United States point of view. One of the main points of interest will be to uncover possible racism as a motive for the USA to keep the colony in possession, since it has always been prevalent in the pejorative treatment of non-white minorities. In addition, it will be clarified why the inhabitants of Puerto Rico have long supported or endured the unclear status of the Commonwealth.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction.

2. Historical Background

3. Analysis of historical sources in search of reasons
3.1 General Miles 1898
3.2 William McKinley 1899
3.3 Downes vs. Bidwell 1901
3.4 Theodore Roosevelt 1906
3.5 Post World War II and The Establishment of the Commonwealth 1953
3.6 John F. Kennedy 1958/ Gerald R. Ford 1977/ Ronald Reagan 1982/ George Bush senior 1989
3.7 Referenda 1993, 1998, 2012 and 2017
3.8 Recent past

4. Conclusion

Bibliography

• College: University of Marburg (Politikwissenschaft)
• Course: American Military Interventions Abroad
• Grade: 1,7
• Author: Mathias Mißler (Author)
• Publication Year: 2020
• Pages: 27
• Catalog Number: V932836
• ISBN (eBook): 9783346260123
• ISBN (Book): 9783346260130
• Language: English
• Tags: Puerto Rico, USA, Colonialism, Territory