Why is Puerto Rico part of the U.S.A.?

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Darth Eugene Vader

Well... according to the US Supreme Court we are not "part" of the USA, we are a territory, a property, something that belongs to the USA.

your head is part of you, your hat is not part of you.
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How PR became a territory? After defeating spain in the Hispanoamerican War of 1898 USa got PR, Cuba, Guam and the Philipnes from Spain in the Treaty of Paris.
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Currently we are an organized (having self local goverment) and un-incorpored territory of the USA.

Charlie

The reason...the Spanish-American war.

LouCar

Puerto Rico has always been a prize ever since the Spanish Empire discovered the island in the 1500's. The French wanted it, the Dutch wanted it, the English wanted it. Many battles were fought over possesion of the island. During 400 years of Spanish rule the Spaniards constructed many fortifications in order to fend off attackers. The most famous of these was the El Morro de San Felipe constructed and modified during 300 years.

Puerto Rico (Porto Rico as known then), was acquired as a war prize after the Spanish-American War of 1898. A short war where the now politically and militarily weak Spanish Government had no choice but to cede the island to the US, along with Cuba and the Filipines. The US wanted Puerto Rico for its strategic location and ease of management, being small in comparison to Cuba. Nothing to do with communism as Cuba and Puerto Rico were not even considering communism at that time.

The US took over possession of the island and put a US military government in place. That situation lasted until WWI were the US military needed additional troops, and declared through an act of congress that Puertorican citizens be declared US citizens in order to legally draft young men into US military service. So... in 1917 Puerto Ricans became US citizens. In 1957 Puerto Rico was given its own style of self-government by popular vote, which then elected its own government styled after the US congress and State Executive model. This Commonwealth goverment now controls a Territory of the US known as Puerto Rico.

LouCar
http://prwest.com

And th