Congress ratifies Puerto Rico's constitution; island becomes a commonwealth after 54 years as a territory

By 1952, Puerto Rico had spent more than half a century as a U.S. territory without a governing charter of its own. On March 3, nearly 82 percent of Puerto Rican voters approved a constitution drafted by a 92-member assembly, and on July 3, the U.S. Congress ratified it under Public Law 82-447, though only after ordering changes to the document's language on education rights. Governor Luis Muñoz Marín proclaimed it into effect on July 25, 1952, creating the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico…