Puerto Ricans Finally Granted Citizenship
US Extends Citizenship To Puerto Ricans Puerto Ricans were finallygranted U.S. citizenship 1917. On this year in 1917, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Jones-Shafroth Act, more commonly known as the Jones Act which made residents of Puerto Rico, a Spanish speaking U.S. possession, American citizens. On March 2, 1917, Wilson signed the Jones-Shafroth Act, under which Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory and Puerto Ricans were granted statutory citizenship, meaning that citizenship was granted by an act of Congress and not by the Constitution. The new legislation was crafted by Rep. William Jones chairman of the House Committee on Insular Affairs, and Sen. John Shafroth chairman of the Senate Committee on Pacific Islands and Puerto Rico. Puerto Ricans are not natural born citizens until 1917. It separated the executive, judicial and legislative branches of government and provided for individual civil rights. It called for a governor and an executive council appointed by th