Puerto Rico Timeline
1898: Treaty of Paris is signed. US annexes Puerto Rico
1917: “Mar 2, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Jones-Shafroth Act. This law gave Puerto Ricans U.S. citizenship. The Jones Act separated the Executive, Judicial, and Legislative branches of Puerto Rican government, provided civil rights to the individual, and created a locally elected bicameral legislature. The two houses were a Senate consisting of 19 members and a 39-member House of Representatives. However, the Governor and the President of the US had the power to veto any law passed by the legislature. Also, the US Congress had the power to stop any action taken by the legislature in Puerto Rico.”
1922: Pedro Albizu Campos founded the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party (PN)
1937: Ponce massacre: 19 people were killed by police at a Puerto Rican Nationalist parade.
1948: Puerto Rico gained the right to choose its own governor and elected Munoz Marin. He held office until 1965
1950: Jul 3, US Pres. Truman signed public law 600. It provided federal statutory authorization for the people of Puerto Rico to write their own constitution.
Nov 1, Two members of a Puerto Rican nationalist movement, Oscar Collazo and Griselio Torresola, failed their attempt to assassinate President Truman. Torresola, was shot dead. On July 24, 1952, Truman commuted Collazo’s death sentence to life imprisonment, on the same day he signed an act enlarging the self-government of Puerto Rico.
1952: Puerto Rico approved their first self-written Constitution. Puerto Rico became a self-governing commonwealth of the United States
1954: Puerto Rican nationalists opened fire from the gallery of the U.S. House of Representatives, wounding five congressmen.
1967: Luis A. Ferrre founded the pro-statehood New Progressive Party.
A non-binding plebiscite to determine the future status of Puerto Rico was not conclusive.
4,200 voted for independence (0.6%)
425,100 commonwealth (60.4%)
274,300 statehood (39%)
1993: A 2nd non-binding plebiscite to determine the future status of Puerto Rico was not conclusive.
75,600 voted for independence (4.5%)
826,300 commonwealth (48.9%)
788,300 statehood (46.6%)
1998: March 4, The US House approved a special referendum in Puerto Rico that would allow voters to choose 1 of 3 options: continued commonwealth status, statehood or independence
39,800 voted for independence (2.5%)
5,000 commonwealth (.3%)
728,200 statehood (46.7%)
787,900 None of the above (50.5%)