Puerto Ricans and U.S. Citizenship in 1917: Imperatives of Security.

Item request has been placed! ×
Item request cannot be made. ×
loading   Processing Request
  • Additional Information
    • Subject Terms:
    • Subject Terms:
    • Abstract:
      Puerto Rico had long been of strategic interest to U.S. policymakers, but the pending entry of the United States in the First World War suddenly made the Island of vital importance because of its important location Caribbean location. Leading members of Congress, officials in the Bureau of Insular Affairs and Navy Department, and the American governor of Puerto Rico all wanted to bind Puerto Rico more closely to the United States. The Jones Act accomplished this by granting Puerto Ricans U.S. citizenship, which policymakers calculated would undermine the Puerto Rican independence movement. More importantly, President Woodrow Wilson, officials in the War and Navy Departments, and the American governor of Puerto Rico thought the Jones Act, which granted Puerto Rico more self-government, would assuage Puerto Ricans' political demands. And if the looming engagement of the United States in the world war was the overwhelming impetus for the Jones Act, President Wilson's personal intervention and the death of Puerto Rican leader Luis Muñoz Rivera in November 1916 also helped assure the passage of the Jones bill. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
    • Abstract:
      Copyright of Centro Journal is the property of Centro de Estudios Puertorriquenos (Center for Puerto Rican Studies) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)