Puerto Ricans and The United States.
The United States of America since its early days has been the target of mass immigration from all around the world. The promise of the new land, the freedom, and the great nation, was the perfect attraction to many immigrants that migrated for various reasons like a better life, freedom, safety, among others. Out of all the immigrant groups that have historically found their way into the United States of America, Puerto Ricans are a particular case. With the acquisition of Puerto Rico as a commonwealth and the provision of U.S citizenship to the Puerto Ricans, the U.S. opened the doors for free immigration. This was the startup of a long-term battle for the Puerto Ricans that has drastically affected their identity as well as their political views and …show more content…
Puerto Ricans mostly identify themselves as being “Puerto Rican”, while a smaller percentage identifies as Latino or Hispanic and some minor percentage as American. Research conducted shows that 57 percent of Puerto Ricans identify themselves as being a typical American, while 38 percent of them identify as being relatively different from the typical American (Lopez & Patten, 2015). This identity issue has formulated opinions whether Puerto Rico should become independent or should remain a commonwealth of the United States and granted more recognition. Many Puerto Ricans are aware of the economic consequences that becoming and an independent state would bring to the island. On 2012, approximately 54 percent voted against continuing to be a territorial commonwealth of the United States (Akiboh, 2015). Although this could interfere with the legal status of future and current immigrants, Puerto Ricans are seeking a reform that would help them establish a clearer ethnic and national
The United States of America since its early days has been the target of mass immigration from all around the world. The promise of the new land, the freedom, and the great nation, was the perfect attraction to many immigrants that migrated for various reasons like a better life, freedom, safety, among others. Out of all the immigrant groups that have historically found their way into the United States of America, Puerto Ricans are a particular case. With the acquisition of Puerto Rico as a commonwealth and the provision of U.S citizenship to the Puerto Ricans, the U.S. opened the doors for free immigration. This was the startup of a long-term battle for the Puerto Ricans that has drastically affected their identity as well as their political views and …show more content…
Puerto Ricans mostly identify themselves as being “Puerto Rican”, while a smaller percentage identifies as Latino or Hispanic and some minor percentage as American. Research conducted shows that 57 percent of Puerto Ricans identify themselves as being a typical American, while 38 percent of them identify as being relatively different from the typical American (Lopez & Patten, 2015). This identity issue has formulated opinions whether Puerto Rico should become independent or should remain a commonwealth of the United States and granted more recognition. Many Puerto Ricans are aware of the economic consequences that becoming and an independent state would bring to the island. On 2012, approximately 54 percent voted against continuing to be a territorial commonwealth of the United States (Akiboh, 2015). Although this could interfere with the legal status of future and current immigrants, Puerto Ricans are seeking a reform that would help them establish a clearer ethnic and national