Although Puerto Rico is a United States territory, not many know about the economic, political, and severe weather issues it faces. The island deals with high unemployment rates, limited jobs, and significant debt, which in turn has left more Puerto Ricans living in the U.S compared to the actual territory. Their crisis is a direct result of colonization, industrialization, and the U.S government’s neglect.  

The History of Puerto Rico

On his second western voyage, Christopher Columbus arrived in what is now known as Puerto Rico a little over a year after his landing in America in 1492. However, 1,000 years before this, the Taíno people settled on the island, naming it Borinquén. In August of 1503, Juan Ponce de Leon, also known as the first explorer to reach Florida, founded the first Spanish settlement in San Juan Bay. Almost 30 years later, the construction of a series of “defensive structures,” called La Fortaleza, began. The buildings were built by enslaved Africans. In 1582 San Juan officially became a military encampment and was attacked and rebuilt more than once in the following centuries.

In 1898 the Spanish-American war was fought between Spain and the United States, and in December of that year, the Treaty of Paris was signed. As a result, Spain left Guam, the Philippines, Cuba, and Puerto Rico to the United States, thus making Puerto Rico officially an American territory. 

Puerto Rico’s Political Status

Puerto Rico has been called a “commonwealth” of the United States since 1948, which simply means that it’s in-between being a state and its own independent nation. Puerto Ricans born in Puerto Rico are citizens of the U.S. However, they cannot vote in federal elections, even though the Foraker Act required all U.S laws to apply to them. That act also established a civilian government, allowing them to elect 35 members to their own House of Representatives and to elect a Resident Commissioner to the U.S. Congress, the one member of Congress who does not get to vote on federal laws.

When the Jones Act was passed in the 1940’s, the goods that Puerto Rico was producing– sugar, coffee, and cattle– became expensive to export and import. This made prices spike on the island. Operation Bootstrap was an economic initiative made with the goal to industrialize Puerto Rico. Low-wage labor and favorable tax laws made Puerto Rico gold in the eyes of manufacturers. The initiative worked with Puerto Rico becoming the biggest producer of high-tech equipment and pharmaceuticals today.

Natural Disasters

Caribbean islands are located south and very close to the equator. Warm weather, rising temperatures, and the ocean make for disastrous hurricanes. Hurricanes have been consistent within Puerto Rico’s history. Hurricane Okeechobee in 1928 hit the southern United States as well as multiple Caribbean islands, including Puerto Rico. The death toll was over 4,000, and countless houses, jobs, and hospitals were destroyed. Hurricane San Ciprian also caused widespread devastation in 1932. More recently, hurricanes Irma and Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2017, only ten days apart. The destruction was devastating to say the least. Irma’s winds and water caused power outages, interruptions in emergency services, flooding, and tore apart Puerto Rico’s already fragile infrastructure. Maria, which hit September 20, was a category 4 hurricane. The winds reached up to 155 miles per hour and caused at least 15 inches of rainfall within 48 hours. What was the most detrimental was the storm’s path, passing directly across Puerto Rico, which resulted in wind tunnels, over 40,000 landslides, and flash flooding. 

The immediate aftermath was absolutely zero power on the island. Cellular services were down, and necessary public services, like wastewater treatment plants, were unable to operate. It is also reported that more than 97% of roads were impassable. Puerto Rico’s municipal government was not prepared for this big of a disaster. 90% of households needed assistance, and the death toll was a whopping 3,000. Trump, the United States’ president at the time, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) issued assistance and emergency materials to be supplied. However, many people report never seeing this aid. Money that was sent to help the relief effort was allegedly pocketed by the wealthy. The following year, a photo of thousands of cases of water bottles being “left to rot” on a naval airport tarmac went viral. While the water slowly became contaminated due to extreme and prolonged sun exposure, more than 95% of Puerto Ricans lacked access to clean drinking water.

Conclusion 

Puerto Rico and its people are still recovering from the damage done not only by the hurricanes but also by industrialization and lack of government support. It’s important to remember that the islands aren’t simply vacation spots filled with beautiful beaches. It’s a home to over 3 million people.

Works Cited:

• Centre, U. W. H. (n.d.). La Fortaleza and San Juan National Historic Site in Puerto Rico. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/266/
• Cheatham, A., & Roy, D. (2022, September 29). Puerto Rico: A U.S. Territory in Crisis. Council on Foreign Relations. https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/puerto-rico-us-territory-crisis
• News, A. B. C. (n.d.). Thousands of water bottles, meant for Puerto Rico’s Hurricane Maria survivors, left to rot on airport tarmac. ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/US/thousands-water-bottles-meant-puerto-ricos-hurricane-maria/story?id=57782040
• Ponciano, E. (2024, May 15). Hurricane Season in Puerto Rico. Tidal Basin Group. https://www.tidalbasingroup.com/hurricane-season-in-puerto-rico/
• Puerto Rico’s Economic Challenges. (2022, May 25). American Enterprise Institute – AEI. https://www.aei.org/research-products/speech/puerto-ricos-economic-challenges/
• The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. (2019). Juan Ponce de Leon | Biography, Route, & Facts. In Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Juan-Ponce-de-Leon