What do you think?
Rate this book
Puerto Rico: The Trials of the Oldest Colony in the World
The island of Puerto Rico has a severely distressed economy, is one of the most densely populated places on earth, and enjoys only limited political freedom. As a United States commonwealth, it is still treated by Congress as one of the last remaining colonies in the world. In this book a distinguished Puerto Rican legal scholar and former government official discusses the island’s century-old relationship with the United States and argues that the process of decolonization should begin immediately.
José Trías Monge first describes the Spanish rule over Puerto Rico and then traces the impact of American colonial policies there, comparing them with those in the Pacific and the British, French, and Dutch experiences in the Caribbean. He argues that the large amounts of money the United States has given to Puerto Rico have not been not only has the island become frightfully dependent on United States munificence but more than 60 percent of Puerto Rican families still live below the poverty line. Politically, the situation is even worse. The United States has granted Puerto Rico limited self-government but has ignored the wishes of the Puerto Rican people―as expressed in two plebiscites―for greater autonomy, since it cannot make up its mind which decolonization option best serves American interests. Trías Monge discusses the various options of Puerto Rican independence, statehood, and an enhanced commonwealth status and urges the United States to end its present policy of inattention and inaction.
José Trías Monge first describes the Spanish rule over Puerto Rico and then traces the impact of American colonial policies there, comparing them with those in the Pacific and the British, French, and Dutch experiences in the Caribbean. He argues that the large amounts of money the United States has given to Puerto Rico have not been not only has the island become frightfully dependent on United States munificence but more than 60 percent of Puerto Rican families still live below the poverty line. Politically, the situation is even worse. The United States has granted Puerto Rico limited self-government but has ignored the wishes of the Puerto Rican people―as expressed in two plebiscites―for greater autonomy, since it cannot make up its mind which decolonization option best serves American interests. Trías Monge discusses the various options of Puerto Rican independence, statehood, and an enhanced commonwealth status and urges the United States to end its present policy of inattention and inaction.
240 pages, Paperback
Published February 8, 1999
12 people are currently reading
426 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 10, 2017
Puerto Rico: The Trials of the Oldest Colony in the World, by the late José Trias Monge, presents the political history of Puerto Rico from Spanish colonial days until the 1990s with an emphasis on the island's political status under U.S. rule. Trias Monge, a former Attorney General and Chief Justice of Puerto Rico's Supreme Court, evaluates the issues through analysis of the important decisions bearing upon the ties of Puerto Rico with the metropolitan nations of Spain, and then later, the United States. The American relationship has been driven by the U.S. Supreme Court's Insular Decisions, which limited the rights of annexed nations under the U.S. Constitution, and a series of Congressional acts – most importantly, the Foraker Act of 1900 and the Jones Act of 1917 – which established the governance of the island and specified such governance as existing outside the U.S. Constitution, as well as outside the processes and procedures applicable to other territories of the U.S.
Trias Monge's sees U.S. policy with respect to Puerto Rico as perpetuating a colonial experience in which the people of Puerto Rico are neither sovereign nor autonomous. Puerto Rico is permanently relegated to a reduced status within the United States. He emphasizes the use of the terms colony and colonial, not as they are employed in the vituperative sense applied in the past to dependencies of the European imperial nations, but “...the charge rests, rather, on the unnecessary retention of excessive power over Puerto Rico, the consequent limitation on self-government, and the lack of proper attention to the requirements of a relationship of equality and full, specific, consent...” He points out: U.S. laws apply to Puerto Ricans without their consent, U.S. law overrides the Commonwealth Constitution even when no conflicts exist (unlike state constitutions), the U.S. negotiates treaties and takes other actions without consultation with Puerto Rico, U.S. courts decide cases involving local matters that are strictly governed by local law (unlike states), and Congress unilaterally exercises plenary powers over Puerto Rico. Succinctly, Puerto Ricans do not rule their own island, nor are they full participants in the benefits of U.S. citizenship. Even the U.S. Supreme Court has remarked Puerto Rico “occupies a relationship to the U.S. that has no parallel in our history.”
Trias Monge presents the three options for Puerto Rican government which existed in Spanish times and continue today. They are: independence, incorporation into the metropolitan power (now statehood), and enhanced Commonwealth status. Each has its positive and negative aspects. Independence is the easiest and cheapest avenue for the U.S., but most Puerto Ricans favor a continued association. Statehood would be very expensive for U.S. taxpayers – the addition of new sources of tax revenue from residents would not compensate for the significant costs imposed by access to federal programs such as the Earned Income Tax Credit, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and Medicaid. According to the U.S. Census, 46.1% of Puerto Ricans live in poverty, including 58% of children. Attacking the problems of poverty alone would cost billions of dollars. Cultural matters come into play too. According to Trias Monge, most Puerto Ricans see themselves as Puerto Ricans first and then as Americans. The issue of Spanish as the primary tongue on the island plays into the cultural divide as well. The third option is enhanced Commonwealth status. This would provide autonomy and retention of plenary powers under a compact of permanent association. The government of Puerto Rico would practice such powers by mutual consent – with the United States exercising only those powers delegated to it by the people of Puerto Rico. This situation would be similar to the Statute of Westminster in 1931 which granted to Britain's overseas dominions all powers of free states except in those particular areas in which the states chose to remain subordinate to Britain. While Trias Monge does not espouse a particular solution, he finds fewer problems with an enhanced Commonwealth.
Puerto Rico: The Trials of the Oldest Colony in the World effectively summarizes the policy issues and refuses to place sole responsibility for the status quo upon the United States. Trias Monge clearly states that with their “petty squabbles, garbled language, and shortsightedness, all Puerto Rican political parties also bear a significant part of the blame.” But the era of continued inattention and inaction has past. In the 21st century, it is time to forget bygone failures and “forge a brave new beginning.” The U.S. needs to live up to its values.
Trias Monge does not wield the pen of a great prose stylist, but his knowledge and experience are obvious. His book is insightful, informative and fair. It deserves a strong Three Stars.
Trias Monge's sees U.S. policy with respect to Puerto Rico as perpetuating a colonial experience in which the people of Puerto Rico are neither sovereign nor autonomous. Puerto Rico is permanently relegated to a reduced status within the United States. He emphasizes the use of the terms colony and colonial, not as they are employed in the vituperative sense applied in the past to dependencies of the European imperial nations, but “...the charge rests, rather, on the unnecessary retention of excessive power over Puerto Rico, the consequent limitation on self-government, and the lack of proper attention to the requirements of a relationship of equality and full, specific, consent...” He points out: U.S. laws apply to Puerto Ricans without their consent, U.S. law overrides the Commonwealth Constitution even when no conflicts exist (unlike state constitutions), the U.S. negotiates treaties and takes other actions without consultation with Puerto Rico, U.S. courts decide cases involving local matters that are strictly governed by local law (unlike states), and Congress unilaterally exercises plenary powers over Puerto Rico. Succinctly, Puerto Ricans do not rule their own island, nor are they full participants in the benefits of U.S. citizenship. Even the U.S. Supreme Court has remarked Puerto Rico “occupies a relationship to the U.S. that has no parallel in our history.”
Trias Monge presents the three options for Puerto Rican government which existed in Spanish times and continue today. They are: independence, incorporation into the metropolitan power (now statehood), and enhanced Commonwealth status. Each has its positive and negative aspects. Independence is the easiest and cheapest avenue for the U.S., but most Puerto Ricans favor a continued association. Statehood would be very expensive for U.S. taxpayers – the addition of new sources of tax revenue from residents would not compensate for the significant costs imposed by access to federal programs such as the Earned Income Tax Credit, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and Medicaid. According to the U.S. Census, 46.1% of Puerto Ricans live in poverty, including 58% of children. Attacking the problems of poverty alone would cost billions of dollars. Cultural matters come into play too. According to Trias Monge, most Puerto Ricans see themselves as Puerto Ricans first and then as Americans. The issue of Spanish as the primary tongue on the island plays into the cultural divide as well. The third option is enhanced Commonwealth status. This would provide autonomy and retention of plenary powers under a compact of permanent association. The government of Puerto Rico would practice such powers by mutual consent – with the United States exercising only those powers delegated to it by the people of Puerto Rico. This situation would be similar to the Statute of Westminster in 1931 which granted to Britain's overseas dominions all powers of free states except in those particular areas in which the states chose to remain subordinate to Britain. While Trias Monge does not espouse a particular solution, he finds fewer problems with an enhanced Commonwealth.
Puerto Rico: The Trials of the Oldest Colony in the World effectively summarizes the policy issues and refuses to place sole responsibility for the status quo upon the United States. Trias Monge clearly states that with their “petty squabbles, garbled language, and shortsightedness, all Puerto Rican political parties also bear a significant part of the blame.” But the era of continued inattention and inaction has past. In the 21st century, it is time to forget bygone failures and “forge a brave new beginning.” The U.S. needs to live up to its values.
Trias Monge does not wield the pen of a great prose stylist, but his knowledge and experience are obvious. His book is insightful, informative and fair. It deserves a strong Three Stars.
February 15, 2017
Had a love and hate experience with this book and the author. The book is an excellent and brief yet somehow well-detailed summary of 20th century relations between Puerto Rico and the US. As a Puerto Rican well-read of Puerto Rican history felt offended of his almost removal of the story and struggle of the nationalists. He mentions them only briefly with a terrorist connotations. Also it was rather awkward for him to end the story with mentioning the good intensions of the US in Puerto Rico, how the country never wanted yo exploit its territory and how many actions have been done in good faith. I cant agree more on Puerto Ricans political parties falling its own people, but I cant find any good intentions on the colonizer on a story that talks about the last colony in the world. Weird soft ending, but overall recommended due to the collected and well-presented historical content.
February 10, 2024
Un poco decepcionante en la segunda mitad, particularmente porque algunas de las perspectivas sobre la situación del país y la población como tal son increíblemente outdated.
December 19, 2023
Excelente análisis histórico de la situación colonial puertorriqueña que, treinta años después de ser publicado, sigue siendo relevante. Sin embargo, sufre de varios errores editoriales- por ejemplo, múltiples errores tipográficos y traducciones un poco extrañas o fuera de lugar.
March 13, 2015
José Trías Monge was Puerto Rico's Attorney General in the 1950s and the Chief Justice from mid-1970s to mid-1980s. His book "Puerto Rico: The Trials of the Oldest Colony in the World" is a serious, eye-opening work on how the colonial powers (first Spain, then the United States) have been preventing this Caribbean nation from achieving true freedom and self-determination. Officially, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a United States territory. However, the author's main thesis is that Puerto Rico is still a colony of the United States, and he supports that thesis by stating as many as 12 reasons, of which the first two are: "United States laws apply to the Puerto Rican people without their consent," and "United States laws can override provisions of the Commonwealth Constitution."
The book presents the history of Puerto Rico, the nation and country at the mercy of foreign powers for 500 years. The Spanish colonization began in 1508 and continued until 1898. The entire 19th century was a political rollercoaster: political freedoms were repeatedly given to and then taken away from the Puerto Rican people. The Autonomic Charter of 1897 was quite progressive, yet the freedoms did not last for very long. In 1898 the United States declared war on Spain, which ended in annexation of Puerto Rico by the U.S. in 1898.
The Foraker Act of 1900 caused Puerto Ricans to lose many of the limited freedoms they had under Spanish Rule. The 1917 Jones Act was "a modest step forward on the long road to self-government." For instance, it granted U.S. citizenship to the people of Puerto Rico. Yet the economic imperialism continued and Puerto Rico "had been turned into a little more than a plantation." The author focuses on the 1930s, which were "of seminal importance" for the country. Luis Muñoz Marin, who played a central role in Puerto Rican affairs until the end of 1970s, emerged during these years.
The 1950s were relatively good times; the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico came into being in 1952. However, not much progress happened in the 1960s - 1990s; the U.S. Congress did not pass any far-reaching bills regarding the future of Puerto Rico. The plebiscites in 1967 and 1993 showed the majority of Puerto Ricans opting for Commonwealth status rather than statehood. In the penultimate chapter the author discusses numerous hurdles to decolonization, for example, fragmentation of society caused by colonial policies, and deterioration of political discourse. The book ends with a chapter on possible paths to decolonization.
José Trías' book was published in 1997. I checked several sources on the Internet, and according to what I could find not much has changed, politically, since then. However, in the most recent plebiscite held in 2012 the statehood option obtained the majority of votes, for the first time. To me, the economic situation is crucial. Although Puerto Rico has the most competitive economy in Latin America, it lags far behind in comparison with even the poorest states in the U.S. 41% of population live below the poverty line (data based on Wikipedia article).
This is a very interesting book, if a little heavy because of the density of facts. Yet I have learned a lot and I am now perhaps a little less ignorant about what the author claims is "the oldest colony in the world."
Four stars.
The book presents the history of Puerto Rico, the nation and country at the mercy of foreign powers for 500 years. The Spanish colonization began in 1508 and continued until 1898. The entire 19th century was a political rollercoaster: political freedoms were repeatedly given to and then taken away from the Puerto Rican people. The Autonomic Charter of 1897 was quite progressive, yet the freedoms did not last for very long. In 1898 the United States declared war on Spain, which ended in annexation of Puerto Rico by the U.S. in 1898.
The Foraker Act of 1900 caused Puerto Ricans to lose many of the limited freedoms they had under Spanish Rule. The 1917 Jones Act was "a modest step forward on the long road to self-government." For instance, it granted U.S. citizenship to the people of Puerto Rico. Yet the economic imperialism continued and Puerto Rico "had been turned into a little more than a plantation." The author focuses on the 1930s, which were "of seminal importance" for the country. Luis Muñoz Marin, who played a central role in Puerto Rican affairs until the end of 1970s, emerged during these years.
The 1950s were relatively good times; the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico came into being in 1952. However, not much progress happened in the 1960s - 1990s; the U.S. Congress did not pass any far-reaching bills regarding the future of Puerto Rico. The plebiscites in 1967 and 1993 showed the majority of Puerto Ricans opting for Commonwealth status rather than statehood. In the penultimate chapter the author discusses numerous hurdles to decolonization, for example, fragmentation of society caused by colonial policies, and deterioration of political discourse. The book ends with a chapter on possible paths to decolonization.
José Trías' book was published in 1997. I checked several sources on the Internet, and according to what I could find not much has changed, politically, since then. However, in the most recent plebiscite held in 2012 the statehood option obtained the majority of votes, for the first time. To me, the economic situation is crucial. Although Puerto Rico has the most competitive economy in Latin America, it lags far behind in comparison with even the poorest states in the U.S. 41% of population live below the poverty line (data based on Wikipedia article).
This is a very interesting book, if a little heavy because of the density of facts. Yet I have learned a lot and I am now perhaps a little less ignorant about what the author claims is "the oldest colony in the world."
Four stars.
June 18, 2025
The book itself is a valuable piece of literature for anyone looking into the history of Puerto Rico and its relation to empire.
Trías Monge's conservative tendencies tend to shine through quite often, however. This the clearest towards the end of the book on some of the final chapters on decolonizing Puerto Rico. Trías Monge seems to argue, despite having laid out a clear argument about how the United States has kept Puerto Rico as a colony, that the United States had no desire to economically exploit Puerto Rico. This strikes me as deeply at odds with the very idea of colonialism and imperialism, and seems to spit in the face of the United States' very real involvement in exploiting Puerto Rican through sugar, to name on industry.
However, it must be said that the rest of the book lays out, in a comprehensive and readable way, the history of US-Puerto Rico relations. With that alone, this book is worth reading.
Trías Monge's conservative tendencies tend to shine through quite often, however. This the clearest towards the end of the book on some of the final chapters on decolonizing Puerto Rico. Trías Monge seems to argue, despite having laid out a clear argument about how the United States has kept Puerto Rico as a colony, that the United States had no desire to economically exploit Puerto Rico. This strikes me as deeply at odds with the very idea of colonialism and imperialism, and seems to spit in the face of the United States' very real involvement in exploiting Puerto Rican through sugar, to name on industry.
However, it must be said that the rest of the book lays out, in a comprehensive and readable way, the history of US-Puerto Rico relations. With that alone, this book is worth reading.
March 20, 2023
If you are interested in understanding the current nature of the status question in Puerto Rico, and the political and economic history that brought us to this point, this is the book.
Jose Trias Monge walks us through the history and evolution (or lack thereof) of the relationship between the United States and Puerto Rico since the Spanish American War when Puerto Rico first became associated with the U.S. He leaves us with a clear understanding of the three options forward (statehood, independence, or enhanced commonwealth status) without taking an opinion of which is better (only that the current relationship is unconscionable and broken).
The writing is clear and, while the subject matter can be somewhat dry, he does not get bogged down. The book is 196 pages and a fairly quick read.
Jose Trias Monge walks us through the history and evolution (or lack thereof) of the relationship between the United States and Puerto Rico since the Spanish American War when Puerto Rico first became associated with the U.S. He leaves us with a clear understanding of the three options forward (statehood, independence, or enhanced commonwealth status) without taking an opinion of which is better (only that the current relationship is unconscionable and broken).
The writing is clear and, while the subject matter can be somewhat dry, he does not get bogged down. The book is 196 pages and a fairly quick read.
August 6, 2020
This book was a bit technical and dry at times, but the information was very important, so I pushed through and was thankful that I had this resource to read. I think all Americans should learn this information about our nation's history.
November 17, 2017
In a desire to learn more about the island & the history behind it I came across this book. Lots of good information, but dry....reads a bit like a textbook.
November 13, 2025
idk it was for a class its good tho ajafjjdajada
November 24, 2009
Written by Puerto Rico's former Attorney General, a native who got his law degrees on the mainland, the book focuses like a laser on the political and legal structures that have buffeted the island's people like so many hurricanes, both under Spanish and U.S. rule. It definitely paints a picture of the official ambivalence that Washington felt toward Puerto Rico, as well as the generations of missteps, misunderstandings and missed opportunities on both sides. Fascinating in its depiction of the different paths that three island acquisitions took -- Hawaii (statehood), the Philippines (independence), and Puerto Rico (confusion). Due to its tight focus, the book is a pretty dry read, though it's well written and well researched by someone who lived it. I found myself wanting to stop at key points -- for example, 1917, when nearly all Puerto Ricans were granted U.S. citizenship without a clear path to statehood -- to get more of a journalistic or sociological read of what people were thinking and feeling at the time.
January 28, 2010
Embarrassed by how little I knew about Puerto Rico before travelling there, I picked this book up at the library. (There was a surprisingly slim selection of titles on PR.)
I only read the initial chapters, which offer a good basic overview of Puerto Rico's political history from the time of its European discovery. As useful as that was (definitely gave the fortresses and churches of Old San Juan more meaning), what I really liked about the book was the sly-- and sometimes bitter-- sense of humor worked into the prose. Monge is not really an academic, but a participant in the political system he's describing; he was a Chief Justice of PR's Supreme Court for a decade and evidently associated with the ruling party for many years prior to that. He doesn't hide the fact that he has a point of view, but the book nonetheless reads as pretty matter-of-fact. I'd recommend it if you want to know more about Puerto Rico, especially its complicated relationship with the United States.
I only read the initial chapters, which offer a good basic overview of Puerto Rico's political history from the time of its European discovery. As useful as that was (definitely gave the fortresses and churches of Old San Juan more meaning), what I really liked about the book was the sly-- and sometimes bitter-- sense of humor worked into the prose. Monge is not really an academic, but a participant in the political system he's describing; he was a Chief Justice of PR's Supreme Court for a decade and evidently associated with the ruling party for many years prior to that. He doesn't hide the fact that he has a point of view, but the book nonetheless reads as pretty matter-of-fact. I'd recommend it if you want to know more about Puerto Rico, especially its complicated relationship with the United States.
March 21, 2012
An excellent analysis by former Chief Justice Trias Monge on the Puerto Rican status problem. Most of the book's length is devoted to recounting the story of Puerto Rico's political development under the Spanish and U.S. flags, information available in numerous other volumes. However, the book's pièce de résistance is its two concluding chapters which expose why Puerto Rico is still a colony, the issues that hinder de-colonization, and possible avenues to break the impasse. Overall, the book is informative, thoughtful, and required reading for advocates of Puerto Rico's self-determination.
February 9, 2016
Excellent historical recount of the status of Puerto Rico and the relationship with the USA up to 1996. It would have been a five star if it had been updated to cover the last 20 years of history, which are proof in a way of how little has been done to update the relationship between the USA and its colony. Recent migration of the Puerto Rican people to the mainland has compounded the issue of whether or not assimilation would happen as people still retain their culture and values even when they have spend years away from the Island. Good read for those wanting to understand US colonial/territory relations.
February 9, 2015
Very informative but dryyyyyy
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews