@after.the.empire: Puerto Rico’s story after Spain’s 1898 defeat wasn’t liberation—it was a handoff. The United States claimed the island as a “territory,” not a partner. First came the Foraker Act of 1900, stripping Puerto Ricans of the power to make their own federal laws while Washington appointed the governor. Then in 1917, the Jones-Shafroth Act granted U.S. citizenship—but not full rights. It bound Puerto Rico to U.S. military drafts and federal taxes while keeping voting power in Congress out of reach. Economically, the U.S. replaced Spain’s plantation system with American sugar corporations, creating a single-crop economy that left locals dependent on U.S. markets and vulnerable to price crashes. Later, Operation Bootstrap in the mid-20th century lured factories with tax breaks, but profits flowed back to the mainland and traditional farming collapsed. When Puerto Rico sought more autonomy—like in the 1950s “Commonwealth” negotiations—Washington framed it as self-government but kept ultimate control over trade, currency, and immigration. Even today, the PROMESA law of 2016 puts the island’s finances under a U.S. oversight board, a modern echo of colonial rule. The flags kept changing, but the pressure of empire never really left. #puertoricanfreedom #puertorico #colonialism #aftertheempire #carribeanindependence

After The Empire

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Monday 22 September 2025 16:34:54 GMT