Editing Politics of Puerto Rico (section)

=== 19th century ===
One year after the United States invasion of the island, Dr. [[José Celso Barbosa]] embraced the idea of [[Annexation of Puerto Rico|annexation as a U.S. state]] as a solution to the colonial situation and founded the [[Partido Republicano Puertorriqueño]] in 1899.

Celso Barbosa had been the leader in the [[Autonomist Party (Puerto Rico)|Autonomist Party]] that favored a republican government for [[Spain]]. For much of the 19th Century, the principal parties favored Puerto Rico becoming another of the Spanish provinces on equal footing with the mainland provinces in Spanish Europe; such standing was given twice to Puerto Rico and other Spanish overseas territories under liberal governments, but it was revoked many times - before the establishment of the Spanish constitutional monarchy - every time the Spanish monarchs were successful in regaining their royal power during the first half of the 19th century. 

In this context, and following the U.S. annexation of Puerto Rico at the end of the [[Spanish American War]] of 1898, Dr. Barbosa returned to the original idea of equal footing, but this time as a full constituent member of the American Republic.

In contrast, [[Roman Baldorioty de Castro]], had been the leader of another faction inside the Autonomist Party, supported a territorial governance for Puerto Rico under Spain, similar to the [[Canadian Confederation|Canadian]] model developed by the [[British Empire|British]]. Before Baldorioty de Castro, other leaders had mentioned the possibility of autonomy, generally as an answer to the Spanish insistence in instituting special laws to govern the Spanish territories and overseas provinces.

During the last twenty years under the Spanish flag, the majority of the local parties, with the exception of the [[Partido Incondicional Español]] (Unconditional Spanish Party) embraced the idea of autonomy. The Incondicionales accepted whatever Spain had for Puerto Rico and the Crown duly recognized their support by giving aristocratic titles to their party's leaders.