The Declaration of Independence expresses four foundational principles, four core values of the United States. Equality and the idea that we all have natural rights that don’t depend on the government are expressed in the famous line, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”The next line brings up the next core value: consent of the governed.
Consent of the Governed
The next line is, “That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” That is, governments get their power from the people they govern. The president of a country is president because the people chose him or her. The governor of a state or territory is governor because the people chose him or her. Citizens of a nation are citizens because they choose to gain or keepthat citizenship.
What about Puerto Rico?
In 2012, the majority of Puerto Rico voters rejected the current territorial status. In 2017, 7,844 voters (1.3% of the valid votes) chose to remain a U.S. territory. In 2020, the majority said “Yes” to statehood. The minority who said “no” may have included some who wanted to remain a territory, but we cannot know what they preferred. We know only that most of the voters wanted to become a state, so the majority certainly did not want to continue as a territory.
Puerto Rico has clearly said that they do not want to be a U.S. territory. For the United States to hold Puerto Rico as a territory against their will is a betrayal of the foundational principle of consent of the governed.
Popular sovereignty
Another way to say “consent of the governed” is “popular sovereignty.” This means that the people have power. The leaders of the government in the United States, both at the federal and state levels, are themselves people of their states and nation. They are elected by their neighbors. We have no kings, no special people with extra privileges, no classes of citizenship.
Puerto Rico can’t demand special privileges that aren’t available to the states, but the citizens of Puerto Rico should, according to the values expressed in the Declaration of Independence, be able to vote for their president, for senators, and for voting members of Congress according to the population of the Island.
If they don’t consent to continue as an unincorporated territory – and they don’t – they should be able to have statehood or independence. The federal government should not be able to hold a territory without consent and representation, without full participation in American democracy.
As we prepare for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, we should take the principles expressed in it seriously. We should make this the year that we remove the stain. of colonialism from our nation by admitting Puerto Rico as a state. Tell your congressional representatives.
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