According to a census study by Lehman College (1), between 1945 and 1950, more than half a million indigenous Puerto Ricans emigrated to several parts of the United States, originally from their own homeland, Puerto Rico. Several of the places to which Puerto Ricans have migrated include Chicago, New Jersey, Boston, Philadelphia, and New York. One of the cities that saw a major Puerto Rican population boom was New York. This period was known as the “Great Migration” and several factors led to mass migration. Some of these major events include the 1917 signing of the Jones-Shafroth Act by Woodrow Wilson and the Great Depression. Subsequently, Puerto Ricans became permanent citizens of the United States following these events. This further poses the question of why a large portion of Puerto Ricans decided to migrate to the United States, how Puerto Ricans developed their identity in New York after migration, and what effect this had on New York. As we currently know, Porto Puerto Ricans are currently permanent citizens of the United States, but a few years ago, Puerto Ricans did not even have American citizenship. It all started at the end of the Spanish-American War in 1898, when Spain and the United States met to sign the Treaty of Paris, which would officially end the war that the United States and Spain were fighting. Spain. It also led to the acquisition of Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines. Later, Woodrow Wilson signed the Jones-Shafroth Act, which gave Puerto Ricans citizenship to the United States. This is one of the first major steps the United States has taken to welcome Puerto Ricans outside their home country. They now had another place to live instead of Puerto Rico. Later, the Great Depression hit the United States... middle of paper ...... the neighborhood was also largely populated by Puerto Ricans, so a community of equivalent ethnicities also led Puerto Ricans to move there install, because nothing had to be changed in terms of language and culture. Everything was basically the same, which made it easier for them to transition from Puerto Rico to a New York lifestyle. This also came with a negative point. Puerto Ricans had to live in demolished and tattered buildings with racist landlords who refused to allow some Puerto Ricans to live in their buildings, so some Puerto Ricans had to keep their identities private so as not to risk being deported. At this time, many Puerto Ricans decided to emigrate also because the United States was beginning to emerge from the Great Depression it was in, with the help of the New Deal. Jobs began to appear again and gave migrants the chance to find work and change their social status..