Christopher Columbus arrived in Puerto Rico on his Second Voyage in 1493. The Spanish flag flew in Puerto Rico until 1898. Since then, it is the flag of the United States that flies in Puerto Rico. And after 1952, when it became the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Puerto Rican flag flies next to the U.S. flag. But Puerto Rico is not a state of the United States. It is a territory. And those who want Puerto Rico to be the 51st state of the United States say it is a colony of the United States. So why isn't Puerto Rico a state or a separate country? What do Puerto Ricans want? The answer has to do with how politics, economics and culture developed in Puerto Rico. It faces many obstacles today, but Puerto Ricans aspire to their personal and collective dignity. They do not stop fighting for it. That is what this book is about, and the answer lies not only in Puerto Rico but in the United States.