Ask the Scholar

{
    "localId": "16988362",
    "label": "Puerto Rico (9)",
    "core": "doc",
    "dtoType": "document",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/16988362"
}

{
    "id": "16988362",
    "sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/16988362",
    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Puerto Rico (9)",
    "description": "This file contains materials relating to the compact of permanent union and President Ford's statehood proposal.",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/16988362",
    "collections": [
        "James M. Cannon Files (Ford Administration)",
        "James Cannon's Issues Files"
    ],
    "subjects": [
        "Puerto Rico",
        "Legislation",
        "Territories and possessions",
        "Treaties"
    ],
    "iiifBase": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/ford/grf-0039/635863/16988362/16988362_Page_02_Image_0001.jpg",
    "thumbnailUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/ford/grf-0039/635863/16988362/16988362_Page_02_Image_0001.jpg",
    "largeImageUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/ford/grf-0039/635863/16988362/16988362_Page_02_Image_0001.jpg",
    "imageCount": 22,
    "hasImages": true,
    "source": "import",
    "hasTranscription": false
}

{
    "url": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/16988362",
    "naId": 16988362,
    "coverageEndDate": {
        "logicalDate": "1977-01-31",
        "month": 1,
        "year": 1977
    },
    "coverageStartDate": {
        "logicalDate": "1976-03-01",
        "month": 3,
        "year": 1976
    },
    "levelOfDescription": "fileUnit",
    "recordType": "description",
    "ocrSource": "nara-archive"
}

{
    "seq": 6,
    "pageIndex": 0,
    "type": "photo",
    "url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/ford/grf-0039/635863/16988362/16988362_Page_07_Image_0001.jpg",
    "mediaId": "0226118d091090d7",
    "ocrText": "-2-\n2.\nThe territorial government conducts a constitutional\nconvention for the adoption of a proposed state con-\nstitution;\n3.\nCongress enacts enabling legislation (i.e. a Statehood\nAct) , conditionally declaring the territory to be\na\nState of the Union upon, among other things, an affirma-\ntive vote by a majority of the residents of the territory\non the questions of statehood; and\n4.\nThe issuance of a Presidential Proclamation certifying\nthat all of the conditions set forth in the enabling\nlegislation have been met and that the territory is now\na\nstate. (In some instances steps 2 and 3 have been\naccomplished in reverse order. )\nHistorically, our relationship with Puerto Rico has been based\non a mutual consent. For example, the current Commonwealth\nrelationship between the U.S. and Puerto Rico was established\nthrough bilateral agreement between the Congress and the\npeople of Puerto Rico (who ratified the agreement at a referen-\ndum)\nAs a practical (though not necessarily legal) matter, any\nchange in the relationship between the two countries would\nhave to be conditioned on the approval of both the Congress\nand the people of Puerto Rico. While the Puerto Rican\nFederal Relations Act, which currently governs U.S. Puerto\nRico relations, speaks of being \"in the nature of a compact'\nbetween two sovereign nations, as a matter of law Puerto Rico\nremains a territory of the U.S.\nTherefore, I would suggest something along the following\nlines\n1.\nThe President could state his belief that Puerto\nRico ought to be made a State and call upon the\nCongress to enact legislation which would both\n(a) extend the U.S. Constitution to Puerto Rico\nsubject to approval by a majority of the people\nof Puerto Rico, and (b) upon such approval, con-\nstitute a statehood act.\n2.\nThereafter, Puerto Rico could hold its consti-\ntutional convention and satisfy the other con-\nditions precedent, and the President could pro-\nclaim Puerto Rico to be a State."
}