reduced mortality without providing a
means out of destitution.
Under these circumstances, Muñoz
began to speak out for independence,
writing in his New York-based paper, the
Puerto Rico Herald: “If the United States
continues to humiliate and shame us, we
can forget about statehood and support
independence, with or without U.S. pro-
tection.” In 1910 Muñoz was elected res-
ident commissioner, the island’s chief rep-
resentative and the highest office a Puerto
Rican could reach at the time. From this
position Muñoz lobbied Congress tire-
lessly for greater liberty for Puerto Rico.
He was aided by the outbreak of World
War I (1914–1918). Even before U.S.
entry into the war in April 1917,A TIME OF TRANSITION 125THE FIRST
SIGHT OF
NEW YORK
One result of Puerto Rico’s attach-
ment to the United States was an
increase of migration from the island
to the mainland. The greatest waves
of migration would come after World
War II, but migration increased earlier
as well: New York City’s Puerto Rican
population rose from 1,513 in 1910 to
69,967 in 1940.
Many of those who came were pro-
fessionals and tradespeople, seeking
a way out of the island’s poverty. One
was Bernardo Vega (1885–1965), a
tabaquero, or cigar worker, who found
work in New York City’s cigar factories,
which also employed Cuban and
Spanish immigrants. Vega came to
New York City in 1916 on the Coamo,
a ship that brought thousands of
Puerto Ricans to the mainland. In his
memoirs, he recalled his first sight of
the city from aboard ship:
We saw the lights of New York
even before the morning mist rose.
As the boat entered the harbor the sky
was clear and clean. The excitement
grew the closer we got to the docks.
We recognized the Statue of Liberty in
the distance.... In front of us rose the
imposing sight of skyscrapers—the
same skyline we had admired so often
on postcards. Many of the passen-
gers had only heard talk of New York,
and stood with their mouths open,
spellbound....Puerto Rico’s Government Structure under the Foraker Act, 1900
Puerto Rico’s Government Structure under the Jones Act, 1917