Every so often, Puerto Rico hits the front pages of newspapers in the mainland United States, usually because of some kind of perceived crisis (or, in the case of recent hurricanes, environmental and humanitarian crises). And in these fleeting moments of attention, the question always comes up: what exactly is Puerto Rico's relationship to the United States? The answer is, well, it's complicated. This article will introduce you to the basics of Puerto Rico's status and how it has changed since the island became a U.S. territory in 1898.
Puerto Rico is currently a commonwealth of the United States. The Office of Insular Affairs defines a commonwealth as “an organized United States insular area, which has established with the Federal Government, a more highly developed relationship, usually embodied in a written mutual agreement.” This is not to be confused with an unincorporated territory: “a United States insular area in which the United States Congress has determined that only selected parts of the United States Constitution apply,” an organized territory: “a United States insular area for which the United States Congress has enacted an organic act,” or just plain occupied territory, in which the U.S. military forcibly claims sovereignty over people who would really rather they didn't. Since 1898, Puerto Rico's relationship with the United States has encompassed all the aforementioned definitions, each with its own set of ever-changing rights and responsibilities.
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