The Day Puerto Rico’s First Resident Commissioner Spoke on the House Floor

Your voice matters! Leave a voice message of up to 60 seconds. / ¡Tu voz cuenta! Deja un mensaje de voz de hasta 60 segundos. On January 19, 1905, Congressman John Hull yielded the floor of the U.S. House to the man he called the Delegate from Puerto Rico. Federico Degetau rose and corrected him. He was Puerto Rico’s first Resident Commissioner, and the distinction mattered. He could speak, but the limits of his office kept him from addressing part of the debate. In this episode of Puerto Rico Open Your Eyes , Eddie Ortiz takes you inside that exchange through a three-voice reenactment based on the Congressional Record. Before the Spanish-American War of 1898, Degetau represented Puerto Rico in Spain’s parliament, the Cortes. After the war, under U.S. rule, Puerto Ricans elected him to represent them in Washington. What could he do in one chamber that he couldn’t do in the other? Read the full transcript of Federico Degetau’s speech in the original Congressional Record, starting on printed page 1086. What stood out to you in Degetau’s speech? What does this moment tell you about how Puerto Rico’s political voice changed after 1898, and how do you see its connection to Puerto Rico today? We’d like to hear from you. Leave us a voice message and share your thoughts.