Puerto Rico Constitution Day – July 25, 2026

History of Puerto Rico Constitution Day

Puerto Rico has been colonized since the 16th century. In the first three hundred years, it was ruled by the Spanish, who caused centuries of oppression, taxation, and crippling poverty. Finally, the people had enough. They began a revolution in 1868, but the authorities quickly struck it down. To soothe the people and diffuse tensions, the Spanish government granted the Puerto Ricans more independence, which was barely in its infancy when the U.S. declared war on Spain.

On July 25, 1898, U.S. forces invaded and occupied the island for the remainder of the Spanish-American War. When the war ended, Puerto Rico became a U.S. colony as part of a peace treaty. But the people wanted a country of their own. Soon, the Puerto Rican call for autonomy grew loud, and as a response, the Foraker Act came into being in 1900. While the act established a civilian government, it did not grant complete rights to the islanders. Puerto Rico received the status of “unorganized territory” with some measure of self-governance — which wasn’t enough. So, as tensions on the island continued escalating, the 1917 Jones-Shafroth Act gave U.S. citizenship to most Puerto Ricans while still allowing Congress and the U.S. President a veto over Puerto Rican laws.

In 1950, the United States initiated discussions for Puerto Rico to draft its constitution — but only as long as its territorial status remained unchanged. Puerto Rico called for a constitutional convention that advocated a republican form of government and a bill of rights. Puerto Rico changed its official name to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the new constitution was born in 1952.