Is Puerto Rico a US state or not?

Answer 1

No, Puerto Rico is not a US State. It is an organized territory of the United States, and is style in English as the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Its government is supjec to the Congress of the United States, its head of state is the President of the United States, and its people are citizens of the united States.

Answer 2

United States colonyOn July 25, 1898, during the Spanish-American War, Puerto Rico was invaded by the United States with a landing at Guánica. As an outcome of the war, Spain ceded Puerto Rico, along with Cuba, the Philippines, and Guam to the U.S. under the Treaty of Paris.

The United States and Puerto Rico thus began a long-standing relationship. Puerto Rico 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. The Foraker Act of 1900 gave Puerto Rico 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 Puerto Rico Supreme Court and an United State District Court; and a non-voting member of Congress, by the title of "Resident Commissioner. 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.

CommonwealthIn 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 Puerto Rico. In 1950, the U.S. Congress approved Public Law 600 (P.L. 81-600) which allowed for a democratic referendum in Puerto Rico 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 Puerto Rico and the United States.

On October 30, 1950, Pedro Albizu Campos and other nationalists led a 3-day revolt against the United States in various cities and towns of Puerto Rico. The most notable occurred in Jayuya and Utuado. In the Jayuya revolt, known as the Jayuya Uprising, the United States declared martial law and attacked Jayuya with infantry, artillery and bombers. The 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. Collazo 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, Georgia, for seditious conspiracy to overthrow the U.S. government in Puerto Rico.

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 Gov. Muñoz Marín on July 25, 1952, on the anniversary of the arrival of U.S. troops to Puerto Rico in 1898, until then an annual Puerto Rico holiday. Puerto Rico adopted the name of Estado Libre Asociado (literally translated as "Free Associated State"), officially translated into English as Commonwealth, for its body politic. The United States Congress legislates over many fundamental aspects of Puerto Rican life, including citizenship, currency, postal service, foreign affairs, military defense, communications, labor relations, the environment, commerce, finance, health and welfare, and many others.

During the 1950s Puerto Rico experienced rapid industrialization, due in large part to Operación Manos a la Obra ("Operation Bootstrap"), an offshoot of FDR's New Deal, which aimed to transform Puerto Rico's economy from agriculture-based to manufacturing-based. Presently, Puerto Rico has become a major tourist destination, and it is the world's leading pharmaceutical manufacturing center. Yet it still struggles to define its political status. Three plebiscites have been held in recent decades to resolve the political status but no changes have been attained. Support for the pro-statehood party, Partido Nuevo Progresista (PNP), and the pro-commonwealth party, Partido Popular Democrático (PPD), remains about equal. The only registered pro-independence party, the Partido Independentista Puertorriqueño (PIP), usually receives 3-5% of the electoral votes.

Answer 3

Yes, although it is located in the Caribbean, Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory of the United States. Puerto Rico's official status is "Free Associated Commonwealth of the United States Of America". Puerto Rico was ceded to the United States by Spain as a result of the Treaty of Paris of 1898 ending the Spanish-American War.

Residents of Puerto Rico hold on to much of their Spanish culture and are torn between a desire for autonomy and statehood.

Citizenship

People born in Puerto Rico are automatically American Citizens with all the rights and responsibilities of any American Citizen born in a state. (Jones Act of 1917)

Right to Vote

Puerto Rico does not have any electors in the Electoral College therefore Residents of Puerto Rico are unable to vote for President of the United States even if they were born in a state and moved to Puerto Rico as permanent residents. A person born in Puerto Rico who becomes a permanent resident of any US State has the right to vote for President in that state.

Representation in US Congress

Puerto Rico does not have voting representatives or senators in the US Congress. Puerto Ricans elect one delegate to the US House of Representatives to speak for the territory. The delegate can vote in committees but cannot vote on the floor of the House of Representatives.

Taxation

Permanent Puerto Rican residents are exempt from Federal income tax on money earned in Puerto Rico from companies with a presence in the territory. This does not mean Puerto Ricans do not pay federal taxes. Puerto Ricans pay payroll tax, social security, medicare, excise taxes, road use tax and capital gains tax among others. Money earned off the island and from companies without a presence on the territory is not exempt from federal income tax. There is also a very hefty local state income tax and sales tax.

Travel Document Requirements

Persons traveling on commercial airliners, or ships on direct transit from any US State or Territory to any other US State or US Territory are not required to have a passport. This includes travel between Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Identification requirements vary, but in general a state issued driver's license or state issued Identification card will suffice. Travel between any US State or territory and any foreign country or territory does require a passport. This includes travel between Puerto Rico and the British Virgin Islands, or any other Caribbean Island other than the US Virgin Islands.

Political Status - Statehood Referendum

Puerto Rico has had 4 plebiscites dealing with the question of statehood, independence, or continued territorial status with the US. They were held in 1967, 1993, 1998, and 2012. The highest number of Puerto Ricans to actually vote for independence in a plebiscite is about 4%. The average number of voters to seek independence has been around 1½%. The rest of the electorate is evenly divided between statehood and status quo (keeping the current status, or some other form of autonomous territorial status with the US). "None of the Above" narrowly won over statehood in the 1998 plebiscite. About half of the population wanted a different political status which would grant the territory more autonomy, but do not want to lose American Citizenship in the process.

In November 2012 a two tiered referendum was held to address the issue raised by the 1998 plebiscite. The first question asked between maintaining the status quo or seeking a different political status. Two thirds of the electorate indicated they wanted a different political status. The second question asked which status should be sought: Independence, Statehood, or Sovereign Commonwealth (like Republic of the Marshall Islands). A majority of those who voted on this question chose statehood. However, there was a large number of "undervotes" in the second question, allegedly due to confusion of those who voted for status quo in the first question. A giant political battle erupted. In the same election, the "status quo" party narrowly won the governorship of the territory. Because of these developments, it is unlikely that the Puerto Rican legislature, or the Governor, will petition the US Congress for statehood anytime soon.

Answer 4

No, Puerto Rico continues to be a US Territory.

Answer 5

Puerto Rico is not a state. It is a self-governing unincorporated territory of the United States located in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea.

Answer 6

Puerto Rico is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States. It is not a State of the US.

Answer 7

No it is a US Territory.

It's a common-wealth in name only.

Answer 8

Puerto Rico is not a state of the US. Puerto Rico is a non-incorporated territory of the US.

Answer 9

It is an OrNot