Changes

At the beginning of the 20th century, Puerto Rico was effectively ruled by a military governor appointed by the President. The Foraker Act in 1900 gave Puerto Rico limited ability to control its sovereignty by establishing a 35-member House of Representatives for the island. A judicial system was also established with one US non-voting representative assigned. The US could still appoint the governor and Upper House in the legislative system. The new Act did enable Puerto Rico to enact its own laws, but any of these laws could be overturned by the US government. Additionally, the US enacted the Hollander Tax on land holding in Puerto Rico, mainly targeting medium and large land holdings. The tax was minimal, later revised to 1%, but did cause a lot of animosity in the early years of US administration as it was enacted without Puerto Rican approval. In the early years after the US had been given Puerto Rico, there was a wide-spread independence movement, similar to Cuba and other former Spanish colonies. This continued after the US possession of the island and in 1914 the House of Representatives in Puerto Rico voted unanimously for independence from the US. However, the US government saw this vote as unconstitutional and a violation of the Foraker Act that had established the legislative parameters for Puerto Rico, rejecting the independence vote.

The results of the initial vote for independence from the US led to friction and hostility between government officials who were elected and those appointed to govern the island by the US President and government. In 1917, the Jones–Shafroth Act was enacted, which granted citizenship to Puerto Rico's citizens born after April 25, 1898. This led to further friction because it was seen as plot by the elected officials as an attempt to draft Puerto Rico's residents into World War I. However, the Act did also expand some of the rights Puerto Ricans by enabling an elected Senate and bill of rights to govern the island's citizens. With the onset of the Great Depression, and disasters including hurricanes, Puerto Ricos economy decline by 1930. This, once again, led to increased interest in an independence movement in Puerto Rico. The populist leader Pedro Albizu Campos, leader of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party, arose to prominence. The 1930s became a period of political conflict in Puerto Rico. The US-appointed governor attempted to repress the party, but the party responded by assassinating two politicians. In the 1930s, as independence for the Philippines was gaining popularity in the US Senate, the US Senate sponsored a bill giving Puerto Rico independence. Luis Muñoz Marín, of the Liberal Party, however, opposed the bill, leading to its defeat in Puerto Rico, despite the majority of other parties and legislators agreeing to the bill. Two massacres during peaceful protests, including the Ponce massacre that led to 19 civilian deaths, in the late 1930s led to more anti-US sentiment, leading once again the US congress to introduce a bill for independence in 1943. Once again, it was defeated, however, by pro-US opposition in Puerto Rico. The late 1930s and early 1940s became a tense period as the local police and national guard, seen as favoring the US administrator, became a focus of protest and fear for Puerto Rican nationalists. The Elective Governor Act, passed in 1948, finally allowed local election for Puerto Rico's governor, with Luis Muñoz Marín becoming the first elected governor. However, the Partido Popular Democrático, controlled by Marín, effectively attempted to outlaw any Puerto Rican independence movement by making their advertising and organization largely illegal. In 1950, Puerto Rico gained its right to form its own constitution.