Almost citizens: Puerto Rico, the U.S. Constitution, and empire

Introduction

1898 : "The constitutional lion in the path"

The Constitution and the new U.S. expansion : debating the status of the Islands

"We are naturally Americans" : Federico Degetau and Santiago Iglesias pursue citizenship

"American aliens" : Isabel Gonzalez, Domingo Collazo, Federico Degetau, and the Supreme Court, 1902-1905

Reconstructing Puerto Rico, 1904-1909

The Jones Act and the long path to collective naturalization

Conclusion.