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A historical analysis of the controversial relationship between the United States and Puerto Rico in the twentieth century: It takes two to tango Belinda Korver 418191 [email protected] 2016 Master’s thesis Global History and International Relations Erasmus School of History, Culture, and Communication (ESHCC) Erasmus University Rotterdam Under supervision of First reader: Dr. F.M.M. de Goey | ESHCC Second reader: Dr. G. Oonk | ESHCC 2 Abstract The United States is in a curious relationship with the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a U.S. unincorporated territory. Historiography concerning the political status of Puerto Rico indicates a clearly distinguishable debate between critics (mostly non-U.S. scholars) on the one hand who argue that the relationship between the continental States and Puerto Rico resembles that of a colonial relation and U.S. scholars on the other hand that avoid addressing the subject matter or put forth official, but ambiguous terms to defend the relationship. The first group desires that the ambiguous relationship that has existed since the U.S. acquisition of the island in 1898 should undergo a change so that Puerto Rico’s status becomes internationally accepted. However, U.S. Congress, which has the final jurisdiction over Puerto Rico’s status, seems to ignore the many requests regarding a change in Puerto Rico’s status. The situation seems in sharp contrast with the way the United States desires to globally present itself as a supporter of self-determination. I assume that, despite the fact that U.S. Congress did not prioritize a status change for Puerto Rico, Puerto Ricans have had beneficial interests in their unique relationship with the United States and that this has had a role in why the territorial commonwealth situation as it was constructed in 1952 is still intact. This thesis explores the underlying interests that both the United States and Puerto Rico have in their relationship and thereby focuses on three periods in history: 1898, the acquisition period; 1950s, the post-war era; and the 2000s, for recent developments. Keywords: Puerto Rico, United States, status, twentieth century, debate . 3 ‘A typical vice of American politics is the avoidance of saying anything real on real issues.’ President Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), 26th President of the United States (1901-1909), A speech in New York, 07-09-1903 4 Acknowledgments The subject of the present study drew my attention some years ago when I travelled to Puerto Rico. When I was on the plane and had to fill out a customs declaration form, I noticed that it required passengers to write down the name of the federal state in which they were going to reside. This confused me: I knew that Puerto Rico was part of the United States, but was it a state? When I asked my co-travellers, they briefly doubted before they said ‘yes, Puerto Rico is a state of the United States.’ I knew that this was not correct, but it seemed the most logical option to fill out on the form. From that moment, I have been interested in the relationship that Puerto Rico has with the U.S. mainland – because, if U.S. residents are unsure about the political status of Puerto Rico, what would outsiders know about the matter? And, more importantly, what would Puerto Ricans have answered to my question? I would first and foremost like to thank my supervisor Ferry de Goey, who supported me throughout the structuring and writing process. Thank you for your feedback and motivating meetings. Each time I left your office, my thoughts were either a) structured (mostly in the beginning of the process) or b) accompanied by many more new, but inspiring thoughts. Thank you for your patience and support! I am very grateful for the support of: my mother, Hanneke, who recommended me to do this second Master’s to pursue my interest in international relations; Valentijn, who is a historian and made me conscious about the way I write; Jochem, who was always willing to listen and read, re-read, and read again; my friends, who, although I thoroughly enjoyed the topic, provided me with diversion when I needed just that; and, finally, my fellow students, who were already familiar with the study of history and helped me at various moments throughout the year. ‘My personal mission’ is hereby formally articulated: I hope that the friends I made in Puerto Rico, for whom I desired to create awareness on the topic amongst European scholars, will some day soon benefit from international attention on their situation. Belinda Korver 10-07-2016 5 Contents List of figures ........................................................................................................... 8 List of abbreviations ................................................................................................ 9 Historical timeline of events ................................................................................... 10 Map of Puerto Rico ................................................................................................. 11 1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 12 1.1 Puerto Rico and the United States: A contentious relationship ................................. 12 1.2 Research questions and hypothesis ................................................................................ 14 1.3 Theoretical concepts ......................................................................................................... 15 1.4 Research method and sources ......................................................................................... 19 1.5 Thesis design ...................................................................................................................... 21 2 Historiography .................................................................................................. 23 2.1 Debate on the political status of Puerto Rico ............................................................... 23 2.2 Suggestions regarding the island’s future status ........................................................... 25 2.3 The power to change Puerto Rico’s status .................................................................... 26 3 1898 – Changing of the guard ........................................................................... 27 3.1 The Spanish-American War ............................................................................................. 27 3.2 The United States: A rising power .................................................................................. 29 3.3 Puerto Rico: Opportunities for improvement and prosperity ................................... 37 3.4 Puerto Rico as an unspecified U.S. territory ................................................................. 40 3.5 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 44 4 1950s – Futile forces .......................................................................................... 46 4.1 The first decades of a long-lasting relationship ............................................................ 46 4.2 The United States: Testing and investing ...................................................................... 50 4.3 Puerto Rico: Migration and independence movements .............................................. 54 4.4 Puerto Rico as a U.S. commonwealth territory ............................................................ 59 4.5 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 64 5 2000s – Territory under construction ................................................................ 66 5.1 The second half of the relationship between Puerto Rico and the United States .. 66 5.2 The United States: Proclamations and plebiscites ........................................................ 67 6 5.3 Puerto Rico: Restoration of national pride ................................................................... 75 5.4 Puerto Rico as a sustained U.S. commonwealth territory ........................................... 80 5.5 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 80 6 Discussion and conclusions ............................................................................. 83 6.1 A history of reciprocal interests ...................................................................................... 83 6.2 Discussion on hypothesis ................................................................................................. 85 6.3 Limitations of the study ................................................................................................... 87 Sources .................................................................................................................... 88 Primary sources ........................................................................................................................ 88 Secondary sources .................................................................................................................... 91 Figures ....................................................................................................................................... 94 Appendix I A list of U.S. (former) territories and their statuses ............................ 95 Appendix II Ballot for 2012 political status plebiscite in Puerto Rico ..................

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