Olmsted Amendment
Encyclopedia
The Olmsted Amendment was a modification to the Foraker Act
of 1900, and became law on July 16, 1909. The law was designed to modify several perceived weaknesses in Puerto Rico
's government at the request of President
William Howard Taft
and Governor
Regis Henri Post
.
It was the Foraker Act that established the United States controlled civilian government on the island of Puerto Rico after the Spanish-American War
. The act also regulated the political and economic relationship between Puerto Rico and the U.S. Nevertheless, the Olmsted Amendment was passed by both houses of U.S. Congress in response to a governmental crisis in Puerto Rico in early 1909, as a result of which the Legislature
of Puerto Rico failed to pass a budget
.
The amendment stated that whenever the Puerto Rican legislature adjourned without consensus about appropriations for the support of the government, the sums appropriated from the previous year would be considered appropriate. The act also placed the supervision of Puerto Rican affairs in the jurisdiction of an executive department to be designated by the president. The discussions of the bill provoked the first Congressional debate on the island's form of government since 1900.
Although the Amendment's supporters in the Administration and Congress perceived it as a pragmatic step to deal with the failure to adopt a budget for Puerto Rico
, many Puerto Rican political leaders considered it a retrograde step in the island's struggle toward greater self-government.
Foraker Act
The Foraker Act,officially the Organic Act of 1900, is a United States federal law that established civilian government on the island of Puerto Rico, which had been newly acquired by the United States as a result of the Spanish–American War. Section VII of the Foraker Act also established Puerto...
of 1900, and became law on July 16, 1909. The law was designed to modify several perceived weaknesses in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
's government at the request of President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
and Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
Regis Henri Post
Regis Henri Post
Regis Henri Post was a New York politician and Governor of Puerto Rico from 1907 to 1909. He was a New York State Assemblyman from 1899 to 1900, representing Bayport, New York. He was appointed auditor of Puerto Rico in 1903, Secretary of Puerto Rico in 1904, and then Governor in 1907 by...
.
It was the Foraker Act that established the United States controlled civilian government on the island of Puerto Rico after the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
. The act also regulated the political and economic relationship between Puerto Rico and the U.S. Nevertheless, the Olmsted Amendment was passed by both houses of U.S. Congress in response to a governmental crisis in Puerto Rico in early 1909, as a result of which the Legislature
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
of Puerto Rico failed to pass a budget
Budget
A budget is a financial plan and a list of all planned expenses and revenues. It is a plan for saving, borrowing and spending. A budget is an important concept in microeconomics, which uses a budget line to illustrate the trade-offs between two or more goods...
.
The amendment stated that whenever the Puerto Rican legislature adjourned without consensus about appropriations for the support of the government, the sums appropriated from the previous year would be considered appropriate. The act also placed the supervision of Puerto Rican affairs in the jurisdiction of an executive department to be designated by the president. The discussions of the bill provoked the first Congressional debate on the island's form of government since 1900.
Although the Amendment's supporters in the Administration and Congress perceived it as a pragmatic step to deal with the failure to adopt a budget for Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, many Puerto Rican political leaders considered it a retrograde step in the island's struggle toward greater self-government.