Diane Palmer

Puerto Ricans: Minority Citizens or Immigrants?

            Going to college opened my eyes to the millions of immigrants who come to our country from hundreds of different nations.  My roommate last year opened my eyes to just how different those nations are and how each has a different story.  In this class, we have been looking at “New World” immigrant literature that could be considered both an immigrant narrative as well as a minority narrative.  If you had asked my roommate, she would have bluntly and proudly explain that she emigrated here from her home country Puerto Rico, but if you had asked her parents, they would proudly tell you they are not immigrants but American citizens.  Due to Puerto Rico’s complex history and involvement with the United States, it becomes a question of are they considered citizens or are they now considered immigrants?  Does it matter what time period they came?  If they aren’t considered citizens any more, then why does so much of their literature contain minority elements?

            The first thing I wanted to understand was the history of the situation.  From previous history classes, I knew that Puerto Rico had been apart of the United States but was no longer.  This seemed too simple of an answer.  In 1898 during the Spanish-American war, the U.S. invaded Puerto Rico, and in 1917 after the war was over, the U.S. granted citizenship to Puerto Ricans by passing the Jones-Shafroth Act.  Due to many factors such as WWI and the Great Depression, Puerto Ricans needed jobs and so began their migration to the United States.  The next several decades are where the complication of the Puerto Rican’s status begins to emerge.  A governor of Puerto Rico is elected, presidential assassinations are attempted by Puerto Rican citizens, and several Puerto Rican parties try to get a hold of the government in Puerto Rico.  Needless to say, little changes over the years as to Puerto Rico being considered a part of the U.S. or an independent country.  Immigration continues through out these years.  In New York during 1945, there were 13,000 Puerto Ricans living there, and it increased to millions by the 1960s.  Finally in 1952, Harry S. Truman allowed Puerto Rico to draft a constitution which included Puerto Rico as a “Commonwealth” of the U.S.  To this day, many Puerto Ricans and Americans argue whether “commonwealth” means they are citizens of both Puerto Rico and America or they are independent people of Puerto Rico.  Now, I had the history down, but it still didn’t answer my question because it still depended on who you asked whether or not they are citizens or immigrants (“Puerto Rico”).

            In my next source, I wanted more opinion then fact, so I asked my old roommate.  She asked me not to give her name, so for privacy, I’m just going to give her first name.  I asked her opinion on the situation and she still stands by her answer that she is an immigrant.  Angie feels that to admit she is a citizen and a minority would actually take away her culture rather to retain it as a minority.  By admitting she is a citizen, Angie feels she is giving up her identity because she would be considered “American.”  Her mother told me a different story.  Her mother argues that they are American citizens because they came here without the requirement of greencards.  They were not forced here, but were able to come over of their free will.  They did not lose their culture because culture has nothing to do with where you are born and where you live.  Angie’s mom says culture is a part of who you are and no government can take that away.  Again, my question has no answer (Angelica).

            I tried one more history site to see if I could find a different point-of-view.  The historical facts remained the same on this site, but there was more insight into why the Puerto Ricans came over to the U.S. rather than staying in Puerto Rico.  Apparently, due to the Spanish-American war, many Puerto Rican farmers were left with nothing, and this was made worse by hurricane devastation during that time. World War I followed and the unemployment rate increased to an astounding forty percent. This and the fact that American industry and corporations were taking over the island forced many Puerto Ricans to turn directly to America to obtain jobs.  Coming to the U.S. became especially easy after the Jones Act in 1917 which gave the Puerto Ricans citizenship and protected them against the isolationist immigration policies.  Many efforts were made to increase employement in Puerto Rico.  “Operation Bootstrap” was put into place during World War II.  It allowed U.S. factories to come into Puerto Rico with tax exemptions as long as they provided jobs for Puerto Ricans.  Again, this worked on some levels but also caused several problems.  Working conditions for Puerto Ricans were deplorable both on the island and in the U.S.  Many Puerto Ricans realized if they went to the U.S. but did not work for the factories they would have a better chance to provide more for their families (“History”).

            In conclusion, my question has no definite answer.  On the one hand, you could make several arguments that the Puerto Ricans should be considered minority citizens.  They are considered part of the United States “commonwealth” and can therefore not be considered immigrants.  It can be argued that they were forced to come to the United States due to horrible conditions in their country that was caused by the U.S., and therefore they have minority status.  They are also a minority culture that refuses to assimilate to the dominant culture.  On the other hand, they could be seen as immigrants.  They have a Puerto Rican constitution which makes them Puerto Rican citizens, therefore immigrants to our country.  There are generations of Puerto Ricans who show the signs of assimilation to our country without resisting the dominant culture.  So which is it?  If the politicians cannot decide (which isn’t very shocking), then sadly, neither can I.  The question has too many answers depending on too many situations. 

Work Cited

D******, Angelica. personal interview. 12 Jun 2006.

"History of Puerto Ricans in Connecticut." People of Connecticut. 24 June 1999. Trinity College. 12 Jun 2006 <http://trincoll.edu/prog/ctpeople/PuertoRicans/history.htm>.

"Puerto Rico." Wikipedia. 2006. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.. 12 Jun 2006

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puerto_Rico>.