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The Act allowed conscription to be extended to the island, sending 20,000 Puerto Rican soldiers to the United States Army during the First World War. The Act also divided governmental powers into three branches: executive (appointed by the President of the United States), legislative, and judicial. The legislative branch was composed of the senate, consisting of 19 members, and a house of representatives, consisting of 39 members.[54] The members of the legislature were freely elected by the Puerto Rican people. A bill of rights, which established elections to be held every four years, was also created. The Act also made English the official language of the Puerto Rican courts.

The Jones Act was made to replace the Foraker Act, which allowed for the free entry of Puerto Rican goods into the U.S. market. Although the Jones Act extended citizenship to Puerto Rico, it wasn't always welcomed. The Partido Union had opposed extension of U.S. citizenship in 1912 if it didn't make Puerto Rico a state. If they didn't become a state,  U.S. citizenship would be interpreted as an attempt to block independence of the Puerto Ricans. For them, the promise of citizenship didn't affirm the promise of statehood, it excluded any considerations of independence [1].

FINAL PIECE:

The Jones Act was made to replace the Foraker Act, which allowed for the free entry of Puerto Rican goods into the U.S. market. The Jones Act was approved by the U.S. Congress on December 5, 1916, and signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson on March 2, 1917.[54]  Although it extended citizenship to Puerto Rican,it wasn't always welcomed. The Partido Union had opposed extension of U.S. citizenship in 1912 if it didn't make Puerto Rico a state. If they didn't become a state, U.S. citizenship would be interpreted as an attempt to block independence of the Puerto Ricans. For them, the promise of citizenship didn't affirm the promise of statehood, it excluded any considerations of independence [1].

The law made Puerto Rico a United States territory which is "organized but unincorporated," much like a colony. Puerto Ricans were also collectively given a restricted U.S. citizenship. This implied that Puerto Ricans in the island did not have full American citizenship rights, such as the right to vote for the President of the United States.[55] The Act allowed conscription to be extended to the island, sending 20,000 Puerto Rican soldiers to the United States Army during the First World War. The Act also divided governmental powers into three branches: executive (appointed by the President of the United States), legislative, and judicial. The legislative branch was composed of the senate, consisting of 19 members, and a house of representatives, consisting of 39 members.[54] The members of the legislature were freely elected by the Puerto Rican people. A bill of rights, which established elections to be held every four years, was also created.

Though the Act created a more structuralized government for Puerto Rico, the United States Congress still held the right to veto or amend bills and laws passed by the provincial legislative body.[2] In addition to veto power, the United States could prevent the enforcing of actions taken by the legislature.[3] The Act stated that the President of the United States was to appoint members of the Puerto Rico’s legislative branch, as well as the directors of the six major government departments- agriculture and labor, health, interior, and treasury(with the advisement of Congress) and the Attorney General and the commissioner of of education.[2] The Act also made English the official language of the Puerto Rican courts, government, and the public education systems.

  1. ^ a b César J. Ayala, and Rafael Bernabe (2007). Puerto Rico in the American Century. A History since 1898. Chapel Hill: the University of North Carolina Press. pp. 57–58.
  2. ^ a b "Puerto Rico | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives". history.house.gov. Retrieved 2016-11-14.
  3. ^ "Jones Act - The World of 1898: The Spanish-American War (Hispanic Division, Library of Congress)". www.loc.gov. Retrieved 2016-11-14.