In today's session, Yanuell researched the more recent history of Puerto Rico and learned about the differences between territories and states. The topic was much broader than we had imagined. A state is an organized, political institution that controls a territory under a government and forms part of a federal republic. It uses legitimate force to maintain a monopoly over the territory under a central government. However, there are several types of states; those that are sovereign and those that are subject to the control of other states. Sovereign states are those that have definite territories and which consist of permanent populations and government allowing them to enter into relations with other sovereign states. Again, Yanuell and I laughed because this was way more information than we had expected to uncover! Most states are part of federated states such as the case of the United States of America, and the federal government holds power over the states. A state is also sometimes referred to as country. A territory, on the other hand, is a geographical area which does not have sovereignty and is under the control of another government. They may enjoy local autonomy and, at the same time, may be subject to some of the laws of the state that governs them. Once Yanuell had processed all of this information, he began to research and apply it to Puerto Rico, which is a US territory. To begin with, people born in Puerto Rico are automatically granted U.S. citizenship. But, they don't have all of the same rights as those born in the U.S. For example, when it comes to voting, they can hold caucuses, primaries or conventions to help choose the Republican and Democratic nominees, but then can’t vote in the general election in November - something that really bothered Yanuell. Puerto Rico and the other territories, like the District of Columbia, each get to send one delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives. That delegate can speak on the House floor, introduce legislation, offer amendments and vote in committees, but can’t vote on matters that come to a full House vote. In the Senate, territories and the District of Columbia have no representation at all. After examining these topics, Yanuell concluded his session with the question of: Will Puerto Rico ever become a state? The answer is not simple. Puerto Rico has held five non-binding referendums on whether to seek statehood; the first three showed residents evenly split, and the latest, in June 2017, was marred by a boycott by opposition political parties. While some in Puerto Rico support statehood, and others like the status quo, there are also some who support independence from the U.S. Ultimately that’s up to the U.S. Congress, which would be expected to put a very high bar on creating a 51st U.S. state. One complication: Puerto Rico would likely support Democrats for Congress and the presidency, an unpalatable prospect for the Republicans now in control in Washington.