Almost Citizens: Puerto Rico, the U.S. Constitution, and Empire

by Sam Erman

Almost Citizens lays out the tragic story of how the United States denied Puerto Ricans full citizenship following annexation of the island in 1898. As America became an overseas empire, a handful of remarkable Puerto Ricans debated with US legislators, presidents, judges, and others over who was a citizen and what citizenship meant. This struggle caused a fundamental shift in constitution law: away from the post-Civil War regime of citizenship, rights, and statehood, and toward doctrines that accommodated racist imperial governance. Erman's gripping account shows how, in the wake of the Spanish-American War, administrators, lawmakers, and presidents together with judges deployed creativity and ambiguity to transform constitutional meaning for a quarter of a century. The result is a history in which the United States and Latin America, Reconstruction and empire, and law and bureaucracy intertwine.

Genres: Nonfiction, Law, History

290 pages, Hardcover

Published December 13, 2018

Reviews

[Christopher Federici · Rating 4 out of 5]

An immensely thorough analysis of Puerto Rico’s path to citizenship in these United Sates and what that even means. Loved the book - a bit dry at times but that’s the nature of the subject matter (a lot of constitutional law). I read this during my travels to Puerto Rico and was immensely moved by the figures in this winding tale.

I recommend this to anyone who is interested in American imperialism. Our knowledge of the past can enable a stronger future. I hope to one day see Puerto Rico ascend to proper American statehood. The world’s longest standing democracy absolutely should not tolerate the world’s longest standing colony.

[Matthew Rohn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a neat books that's concise, well written, and presents strong arguments. However, in making its arguments about legal citizenship after the Spanish-American war it, perhaps unintentionally, presents some pretty thin arguments about citizenship politics within Puerto Rico in the early 1900s. Still definitely worth reading but very much for the legal focus

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating history of how Puerto Rico's incorporation into the US differed greatly from other US territories; good analysis of white supremacy, race, and empire in America.