In October of 1898 Puerto Rico was taken from the Spanish and was now part of the United States. Soon after in April of 1900, the Puerto Rican military government was disbanded and became part of the United States military government. This was called the Foraker Act. This Act allowed a civil government and free travel between Puerto Rico and the United States. This also made every law in the United States now a law in Puerto Rico. The first governor of the island during this time was Charles H. Allen on May 1st, 1900. Also, with this new government in play they have to get a governor and a court system in play.
Later in 1908 a resident commissioner Luiz Munoz raised his voice about the act and called the American political leaders “petty kings” and that the members of the Puerto Rican senate are Americans too. He said this because the United States wanted this act and was not listening to the Puerto Rican government and what they had to say for themselves. This Act is still in play today and still gives the president of the United States the power to appoint governors and members of the upper house of it legislature.
Works Cited
Foraker Act (Organic Act of 1900), 2011, www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/1898/foraker.html. (April 20, 2021)
History, Art & Archives, U.S. House of Representatives, “Puerto Rico,” https://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/HAIC/Historical-Essays/Foreign-Domestic/Puerto-Rico/ (April 20, 2021)
History of Puerto Rico, 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Puerto_Rico. (April 20, 2021)
By: Brennan South