Puerto Rico: the 51st State? For the first time, a majority of Puerto Ricans have voted in favor of statehood.

• Author: Potenza, Alessandra
• Position: NATIONAL

When Americans went to the polls on November 6 to choose the president, residents of Puerto Rico sat on the sidelines, unable to vote. They did, however, cast ballots that day in a referendum on the island's future. And for the first time, a majority voted in favor of Puerto Rico becoming the 51st state.

"We are not happy being second-class citizens," says Xavier Caraballo-Sandoz, a 23-year-old graduate student at Eastern University in Puerto Rico who voted for statehood. "We are ready to become part of the Union."

A self-governing U.S. commonwealth located 1,000 miles southeast of Miami, Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory in 1898 as part of the settlement of the Spanish-American War (see Times Past, p. 16). Today, Puerto Rico--which is home to 3.7 million people--has its own governor and legislature, and the U.S. president as its head of state.

Puerto Ricans are American citizens, but only those living in the U.S. enjoy full constitutional rights. Residents of Puerto Rico can't vote in presidential elections (though they can vote in primaries) and have one nonvoting member of Congress.

Statehood supporters say Puerto Rico would benefit economically from increased tourism and investment. Opponents, however, point out that if Puerto Rico were to become a state, residents would have to pay federal income tax. Some also fear the loss of the island's unique culture and identity.

"If we become a state, some people will want to enforce English as the main and only language in government and education," says Daniel Cruz...