America's 51st State?

It’s been nearly six decades since Alaska and Hawaii joined the Union as the 49th and 50th states in 1959. Is it time for the U.S. to add another star or two to the flag? 

That’s the question both Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico are asking Americans to consider in separate pushes for statehood that have gained some momentum recently.

For residents of the District of Columbia, it’s a question of fairness. Americans in D.C. serve in the U.S. military, sit on juries, and pay federal taxes just like everyone else. But because of the capital’s special status as a federal district, its residents don’t have voting representation in Congress, so they have no say in the nation’s laws. They also have limited control over their own affairs because any law passed by D.C.’s local government requires congressional approval. 

That bothers Cheryl Liu, 19, who moved to D.C. from Hinsdale, Illinois, last year to attend Georgetown University. She’s now an active member of the group Students for D.C. Statehood.

“I thought it was a little bit ridiculous that citizens living here don’t have a voice in Congress, or control over their own affairs,” Liu says.

D.C.’s second-class status goes back to America’s earliest days. The Founding Fathers thought it was important to keep the nation’s capital in a special federal district, and included a provision about it in the Constitution. They worried that if the capital were geographically within a state, that state might have undue influence over the federal government. When D.C. was established as the nation’s capital in 1790, only about 3,000 people lived in the 100-square-mile area that was carved out from Maryland and Virginia.* 

But as Washington’s population grew over time (it now has about 675,000 residents—more than Wyoming or Vermont), residents began demanding more of a voice in their government. In 1961, the 23rd Amendment to the Constitution gave D.C. residents the right to vote for president for the first time. In 1970, D.C. received a nonvoting “delegate” in the House of Representatives. And in 1973, Congress allowed the District to form a local government with a council, a mayor, and other local agencies. But Congress still controls Washington’s budget and has to approve all its local laws. 

Like D.C., Puerto Rico has had a statehood movement for nearly five decades. Four referendums have been held since 1967, and in 2012, for the first time, a majority of voters in Puerto Rico favored statehood in a nonbinding vote. Another referendum—the first funded by the U.S. government—is expected soon. If Puerto Rico votes yes again, it could bring its petition for statehood to the U.S. House and Senate, which would have final say.   

Critics worry that statehood could be a burden because it would require residents of the island to pay U.S. federal taxes at a time when Puerto Rico’s economy is in deep crisis. But others think becoming a state could help it get more U.S. aid. 

“For Puerto Rico to prosper, it should be treated equally. And to be treated equally, it must become a state,” says Pedro Pierluisi, Puerto Rico’s delegate in Congress.

But many experts say congressional approval is a long shot for D.C. and Puerto Rico, mainly for political reasons. Both houses of Congress are controlled by Republicans, who fear that residents of D.C. and Puerto Rico would send Democrats to Washington.

“Politically, that just won’t happen because it’ll change the political balance in the country,” says Roger Pilon, founder and director of the Cato Institute’s Center for Constitutional Studies.

Some opponents of D.C. statehood say residents of the nation’s capital should be absorbed into Maryland or Virginia. But D.C. officials largely oppose this idea.

“I don’t consider myself to be a Marylander or a Virginian,” says D.C. Councilmember Allen. “I consider myself to be a Washingtonian.”

Liu, the Georgetown University student, remains hopeful that Congress will see beyond the politics.

“This issue is about much more than residents in D.C. and Puerto Rico,” Liu says. “It’s about all Americans, because when you boil it down, it’s about civil rights and equality.”