US Trends

why is puerto rico part of the us

Puerto Rico is part of the United States because the U.S. took control of the island from Spain after winning the Spanish‑American War in 1898 and then kept it as a territory rather than granting it independence or making it a state.

Quick Scoop

1. How did Puerto Rico become part of the US?

  • In 1898, the U.S. fought Spain in the Spanish‑American War, mainly over Cuba, but the conflict spread across Spain’s colonies.
  • After the war, the Treaty of Paris (1898) forced Spain to cede Puerto Rico (along with Guam and the Philippines) to the United States.
  • The U.S. first ruled Puerto Rico with a military government, then set up a civil government under the Foraker Act in 1900.

So Puerto Rico didn’t “ask to join” the U.S.—it was transferred as a colony from one empire (Spain) to another (the United States).

2. What is Puerto Rico’s status today?

  • Puerto Rico is an unincorporated U.S. territory with “commonwealth” status, not a state.
  • People born in Puerto Rico are U.S. citizens (since the Jones‑Shafroth Act of 1917).
  • Puerto Ricans can move to the mainland, serve in the U.S. military, and receive some federal benefits, but the island has limited voting power at the federal level.

In simple terms: Puerto Rico is inside the U.S. political system but not on equal footing with the 50 states.

3. Why didn’t it just become a state (or independent)?

Over the last century, several paths were debated:

  • Keep commonwealth/territory status:
    Many liked the mix of U.S. connection (citizenship, movement, federal money) with some local self‑government.
  • Statehood:
    Supporters want full equality: voting representation in Congress, presidential voting, and more stable integration into U.S. law and funding systems.
  • Independence:
    A smaller but long‑standing movement argues Puerto Rico is still essentially a colony and should become a fully sovereign country.

Multiple referendums (1967, 1993, 1998 and later votes) have asked Puerto Ricans what they want, but turnout, ballot design, and political disputes have made results controversial, so Congress has not acted decisively.

4. What does this mean in everyday life?

  • Puerto Ricans pay some U.S. federal taxes (like Social Security and Medicare), but generally not federal income tax on island‑earned income.
  • They have their own constitution and elected government , but Congress in Washington still has ultimate authority and can override Puerto Rican law.
  • They elect a Resident Commissioner who sits in the U.S. House of Representatives with voice but no final vote on most legislation.

A useful mental image: think of Puerto Rico as a place that is under the U.S. flag and in the U.S. family , but stuck in a gray zone—more than a foreign country, less than a state.

5. Why is this a trending / debated topic now?

In recent years, Puerto Rico’s status has been pulled into the spotlight by:

  • A long economic crisis and government debt problems.
  • Major hurricanes (like Maria in 2017) and earthquakes that exposed how reliant the island is on federal decisions and how limited its own power is.
  • Ongoing political fights about whether the island should become a state, remain a commonwealth with reforms, or push harder for independence.

You’ll often see this tied into broader debates about democracy and colonialism in the 21st century—whether it’s acceptable that millions of U.S. citizens live under U.S. rule without full federal voting rights.

TL;DR:
Puerto Rico is part of the U.S. because the U.S. took it from Spain in 1898 and kept it as a territory; today it’s a U.S. commonwealth whose people are U.S. citizens, but it’s still not a state and has limited federal political power, which is why its status keeps coming up in news and forum discussions.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.