Jones Act on Puerto Rico

The Jones-Shafroth Act of 1917 was a huge step forward for Puerto Rico in the early 1900s. This act gave Puerto Ricans citizenship in the U.S. However, this act did not allow Puerto Ricans the right to vote in the upcoming presidential election or be represented into the U.S. Congress, it did allow them to be in the military. But it did give them more rights than they have ever had before. This Act was signed right before World War 1, which meant that they would get drafted. Instead of Puerto Ricans getting mad about this, they actually embraced it and would also sign up and not just wait to get drafted. 17,855 Puerto Rician ended up serving in the war. They did this because they thought it served as an opportunity to gain more rights and get them on a path to statehood. The U.S. took Puerto Rico because they thought the island would become unstable and it was also a great strategy for the military. Also, by taking them in it had a great effect on the relations with other Latin American places. This was a win win for both the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

            Later in World War 1 the Puerto Ricans served a big purpose in the 65^th Infantry. Which they were also the first Hispanic soldiers in the U.S. History. In later years they would be used in many wars and help the U.S. significantly. They ended up helping at the Panama Canal and also help end the Korean War in the 1950s. They gained the respect of the U.S. and many places around it. The U.S. has also put a military on Puerto Rician soil.

Works Cited:

Boissoneault, Lorraine. “Puerto Ricans Got U.S. Citizenship 100 Years Ago—But Their Identity Remains Fraught.” The Smithsonian, March 7, 2017. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/100-years-ago-puerto-ricans-got-us-citizenship-it-only-made-things-more-complicated-180962412/.

Rivera-Negrón, Verónica. “Through a Puerto Rican Lens: The Legacy of the Jones Act.” National Museum of American History, February 28, 2017. https://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/through-puerto-rican-lens-legacy-jones-act.

“The Borinqueneers: The Forgotten Heroes of a Forgotten War.” Center for Puerto Rican Studies. Hunter College, n.d. https://centropr.hunter.cuny.edu/centrovoices/chronicles/borinqueneers-forgotten-heroes-forgotten-war.

By: Brennan South