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The emergence of the US as a nation did not follow a trajectory comparable to other nations. The country came into existence as an amalgam of different states composed of European immigrants looking for new opportunities. While the founders of the nation managed to create a democratic state, the country’s political thinking was not free from the social and economic constructs prevalent in the world of the time.
The fundamental drive of the immigrants who came to the US was to escape the excesses of the imperial regimes governing Europe. However, the US still became a slave nation. After the official abolishment of slavery, the country systematically adopted policies that institutionalized racial segregation that led to the emergence of the civil rights movement.
This shows that while the country sought to define itself as a land of equal opportunity, the US still perpetuated some of the prevailing practices of imperialistic administrations in the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Italy, and Germany, which limited the opportunities available to some inhabitants.
When Justice Edward Douglas White arrived at the conclusion that Puerto Rico as a territory was “foreign in a domestic sense”, he was trying to find a viable description of Puerto Rico that was consistent with America’s image as a republic (Kaplan 2). This description highlights two important aspects of the self-image of the US in the context of imperialism and international politics.
First, it communicates a sense of ambiguity of the status of the US as a republic (Kaplan 3). During its inception, the US was essentially an amalgam of willing states that created a confederation. In this regard, each state had an equal opportunity to consider its options and to determine its future. The process was very complex and in some cases, it took battles to settle issues.
The question of how to handle territories outside the US that the federal government controlled and territories outside the control of the US that wanted to become part of the US arose. After the US took its current form, some territories such as the Philippines chose to fight the US for independence. Others like Puerto Rico and Hawaii chose to join the US.
However, Puerto Rico found itself at a disadvantage because it had to deal with an established federal system. If Puerto Rico was among the states that participated in the creation of the US, it might have been easier for it to become part of the republic.
This shows that the US still views itself as an empire in the light of the territories it controls outside of its domestic borders. In this sense, Puerto Rico is the property, but not a part of the US (Kaplan 4). On the other hand, the US also views itself as a republic. This view underlies its resistance to Puerto Rico’s efforts to become a full US state.
The second aspect of the self-identity of the US portrayed by the phrase, “foreign in a domestic sense” is the contradiction between its values and its practices. The US has always viewed itself as a bastion of democracy and as a defender of constitutional rule and human rights.
However, the US treatment of Puerto Rico shows that the country has not fully reconciled its desire to promote the full expression of human rights with its need to defend its national identity. US Jurisprudence on Puerto Rico makes it extremely difficult for Puerto Rico to become a US state, or to evolve into a sovereign state.
Current court rulings and some US laws mean that inhabitants of Puerto Rico cannot vote in a US presidential election and Puerto Rico’s representative in US Congress cannot vote in the house. These policies deny the people of Puerto Rico the right to self-determination.
Works Cited
Kaplan, Amy. The Anarchy of Empire in the Making of US Culture. London: Havard University Press, 2002. Print.
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