Puerto Ricans Debate Whether to Become the 51st State

The news from Puerto Rico after last November's elections could not have been more clear: "Puerto Rico Approves Statehood," crowed the Washington Post. "Puerto Ricans favor statehood for the first time," read the headline on CNN.com. So nothing seemed amiss when students entering a classroom at Capital Community College in Hartford were greeted with a prompt on the blackboard: "In a recent vote, Puerto Ricans favored U.S. statehood. Please write down your opinion: Should Puerto Rico be a state, an independent country, or stay as is?"

By Wayne Jebian

December 31, 2012