Balzac, US Citizenship and Territorial Incorporation in Puerto Rico

This article will present a historical and analytical analysis that inserts William H. Taft's ruling in Balzac within the debates that US policymakers and colonial functionaries had about US citizenship and territorial incorporation in Puerto Rico in the first two decades of the 20th century. T...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Centro journal 2022-03, Vol.34 (1), p.113-155
Main Author: Melendez, Edgardo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
20th century
Analysis
Bill of Rights-US
Citizenship
Colonialism
Colonies & territories
Constitutional rights
Federal court decisions
Gompers, Samuel
Incorporation
Juries
Leadership
Policy making
Puerto Ricans
Roosevelt, Theodore
Sparrow, Bartholomew H
State court decisions
Torruella, Juan R
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Summary:This article will present a historical and analytical analysis that inserts William H. Taft's ruling in Balzac within the debates that US policymakers and colonial functionaries had about US citizenship and territorial incorporation in Puerto Rico in the first two decades of the 20th century. Taft reiterated the view of these officials, that granting citizenship to the inhabitants of an unincorporated territory did not imply incorporation of the territory, with all the implications that this status had regarding citizenship rights. In Balzac, Taft sought to clarify the nature of US citizenship in Puerto Rico and presented it as one defined by the territory's unincorporated status. Taft also presented an argument that he and other American officials had previously advanced, that the citizenship granted to Puerto Ricans was formal in nature, that it did not grant any additional rights and that it was granted only to appease their yearning for said status. The article also studies the evolution of the jury trial in Puerto Rico prior to 1922 to challenge Taft's assertions as to why this institution should not be extended to Puerto Ricans by constitutional right. [Key Words: Balzac v. the People of Porto Rico; US citizenship in Puerto Rico; US territorial incorporation policies; Jones Act of 1917 for Puerto Rico; US colonial policies in Puerto Rico; William H. Taft]
ISSN:1538-6279
2163-2960