The Foraker Act & The Jones Act

Self-Rule

• The belief that Puerto Ricans were not ready to govern themselves accurately mirrored the paternalistic opinion many North Americans held about Puerto Ricans.
• There were seen as backward and uncivilized, wholly unfit for home rule.
• "Colonial control was for their own good."
• Dr. Henry Carroll, Father Thomas J. Sherman, and Phillip C. Hanna detailed urgent needs for the Puerto Ricans and argued that the island was ready and should be granted self-rule.
• These views were disregarded
• They did decide to implement the recommendation for:
• Improved health care
• better education and communications
• road building and repair
• liberalized banking laws.

Influence from the US

• Established Puerto Rico as a gateway for US influence..
• Opened the opportunity to exploitation by the US
• Puerto Ricans were denied control of the process of political and economic development.
• They were forced to share the same economic status as the US and therefore, suffered the North American economy fluctuations.
• The island served as a strategic military location for the protection of those interests in invading the Americas.
• PR was going to become a profitable location for US businesses due to the labour force.
• The Foraker Act confirmed the island’s colonial status.

Effects of the Foraker Act

Continued

Luis Muñoz-Rivera

- Congress had ultimate veto power

- The US court system was introduced and the PRicans were given PRican citizenship

- The act also created the position of "resident commissioner" who was elected to a two year term and served in Washington

- He could speak to issues of importance to the island before federal departments but not before Congress

- In 1902, he was granted the right to enter the House of Representatives and in 1904, the right to speak in the House but could not vote on issues

- The island's status and political rights were finally and legally settled when the US supreme court ruled Puerto Rico a "non-incorporated territory" - Proposed by Senator Foraker

- The Court agreed that the provisions and protection of the Constitution did not automatically apply to PR

- Now, PR "belonged to" but was not part of the US.

• Many of the U.S sugar companies bought lands that were devaluated which caused an invasion.

• Local growers could not get loans since there was scarcity of local credit

• The American Colonial Bank was one of the largest banks in Puerto Rico.

• Most of the loaners were U.S sugar companies and many of the Puerto Rican land growers weren’t able to pay back the loans so they mortgaged their lands which in the end they were able to pay for it either and they took their lands away. This was a problem because there was slow production and they were losing local control. They made land sales, most commonly the sugar companies, to keep off debt.

• Lead the autonomist circle that was against the Foraker Act
• He said that the longer this “temporary measure” was in place, the more the Puerto Ricans will be seen as a lesser class.
• This lead to the autonomists full circle who declared themselves against US citizenship

- Up until 1946, all the appointees were North American

- The Supreme decision-making body was the Executive Council (Consejo Ejecutivo)

- 11 members; appointed by the president and approved by Congress

- Top officials were also appointed by the president

- The Foraker Act also created a House of Delegates which was almost like the lower house of the legislature

- 35 elected members on a 2-year term

- The governor had the power to veto/reject any of its decisions

The Foraker Act

The Beginning of the Foraker Act

• Congress decided which laws applied to the Puerto Ricans and which ones didn’t. For example, the Puerto Ricans were not allowed trial by jury.

• The Foraker Act was also an economic instrument issued to controls Puerto Rico’s economic life. It stated that Puerto Rico was prohibited from negotiating with other nations and that they had to share “common tariffs” with the United States.

• Puerto Rico was now part of the monetary system.

• Corporations were restricted to owning less than 500 acres of land. It was suggested by Clarence Senior because he thought that it would represent the power of the populist movement in the United States.

• Since Puerto Rico could not conduct trade with any other nation they were left with trading with the US. The trading was not good because they were really expensive, plus the merchants were also expensive on the American products.

• The US monetary system also lead a major impact on Puerto Rican economy. In January 1899, it was made official that all exchange rates for all currencies were made to facilitate business transactions.

• With the exchange of the monetary system, prices increased to almost 40%.

• The Foraker Act also ended the multiple currency system that made the U.S dollar and U.S monetary system dominant.

- Congress decided that Puerto Rico would remain a colony but they would replace the military rule with a civilian government

- The government structure was created by the Foraker Act

- The Foraker Act was the first Organic Act or constitution.

- This went into effect on May 1st, 1900

- Even though this was supposed to be temporary, it lasted until 1917.

- It provided for the rule of U.S civilians

- The governor was to be presidentially appointed and had the power to name other government officials

Continued.

- As Gordon Lewis noted, the north Americans could truthfully say you are in office, but we are in power

- In either case they continued to work within the rules set by the very system that was oppressing both them and all other Puerto Ricans

- Many still want equality of the U.S. citizenship.

- The joness act created a new, bicameral and wholly elective legislature for Puerto rico.

- Its upper house, the senate was supos to have nineteen members, five of them elected or at large.

Continued

- The lower house was called the camera de representation it was to have thirty nine members four elected por accumulation.

- Suffrage was extended to all males twenty one years and over with no property or literacy requirements

- The governor continued to be presidentially appointed as were the attorney general, auditor , and commissioner of education.

- Puerto Ricans were finally granted u.s. citizenship.

- The governor retained veto power over all acts passed by the insular legislature, though the veto could be overridden by a two thirds vote of both houses. The U.S. president, however, retained a final, uncondinal veto power over decisions of the governor.

- Foraker act relative to immigration trade money tariffs commercial treaties shipping communications, the judicial system, or defense.

Jones Act

- The government of Puerto rico in effect governs practically nothing

- Most Puerto rican leaders capitulated to this defeated even if they tried to believe they scored a victory

San Juan Newspaper Quote

- The parties that lead. the union party under munoz Rivera and José de Diego formed in 1904

- There publican party under Roberto Todd and Barbosa and even Iglesias socialist party after a time

- Each part tended to respond, of course to different groups: the union party to local coffee producers, the republican to foreign sugar the entrepreneurs and professionals with connections to the united states

- The socialist party chose in 1924 to join a coalition with dissident elements of the republican party who represented the most reactionary landowners.

- What all the parties lacked even when in power was effective control over political and economic events on the island.

"We are and we are not an integral part of the United States. We are and we are not a foreign country. We are and we are not citizens of the United States… The Constitution covers us and does not cover us… it applies to us and does not apply to us."

The Foraker Act & The Jones Act

By: Nicole Acosta, Leonardo Vera, Johanna Kerins, Emily Abrehart