President Taft, in this 1908 speech, is explaining how well things are going in Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Philippines, the “dependencies” the United States had taken possession of after the Spanish-American War.
Cuba and the Philippines became independent countries in the 20th century, but President Taft’s speech doesn’t support independence for any of the dependencies. He felt that supporting independence “would lead to ultimate chaos in the islands” and that it would be “cowardly to lay down the burden until our purpose is achieved.”
Taft’s point
What was the purpose? That was a controversial question in those days. Some Americans believed that the U.S. should follow England’s example and become an imperial power. A famous speech by Senator Albert J. Beveridge in 1898 encapsulated the idea:
“Hawaii is ours; Porto Rico is to be ours; at the prayer of her people Cuba finally will be ours; in the islands of the East, even to the gates of Asia, coaling stations are to be ours at the very least; the flag of a liberal government is to float over the Philippines, and may it be the banner that Taylor unfurled in Texas and Fremont carried to the coast.”
On the other side of the question were people like Mark Twain and Andrew Carnegie, members of the Anti-Imperialist League. These people, along with many other Americans, said that the idea of holding colonies was un-American.
This argument is over, but the strange position of Puerto Rico, the last of the American colonies, is left over from those days. The American Empire didn’t happen.
We’re in sight of the next presidential election, but we won’t be hearing speeches like Beveridge’s “March of the Flag.” None of the major candidates will be talking about world domination. Self determination for Puerto Rico, according to Republican Rep. Bruce Westerman, is not even controversial.
It’s time to settle the position of Puerto Rico. The Puerto Rico Status Act passed the House in December. Rep. Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon will introduce it again and hold hearings, making the process more acceptable to her fellow Republicans. When it reached President Biden’s desk, he will sign it.
Please make sure that your legislators know you support statehood for Puerto Rico.
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