2017+Puerto+Rico

=Puerto Rico after the Hurricane- Time for Statehood?=

Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are U.S. Territories in the Caribbean. The U.S. Acquired Puerto Rico from Spain following the Spanish-American War in 1898. The U.S. purchased the Virgin Islands from Denmark in 1917. Residents of the Islands are U.S. Citizens, though they are not represented in Congress. In the past 3 weeks the islands were walloped by Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Despite massive destruction of homes and infrastructure, the islands are only slowly receiving help from the U.S. military and U.S. civilian relief agencies. Help is made more complicated by distance and the lack of infrastructure on the islands, but there has been criticism that the U.S. Citizens on Puerto Rico and in the Virgin Islands are not being helped as much, or as quickly and effectively as were the U.S. Citizens in Texas and Florida who were temporarily displaced by Hurricanes Hugo and Irma.

Here is an article from Scholastic that tells about the situation in Puerto Rico. Crisis in Puerto Rico. (If needed to log in, the student password is **Greenmen**)

In the past, Puerto Rico has had a number of referendums on Statehood, but has always voted to remain a U.S. territory. This special status protects Puerto Rico's distinct Hispanic heritage and culture...but might also be a reason that its infrastructure hasn't been as fully developed during the years it has been a U.S. Territory. Could statehood help Puerto Rico recover and rebuild faster than it would if it remains a U.S. Territory?


 * What do you think about Puerto Rico becoming America's 51st State? What about the Virgin Islands?**