Effects of the Spanish Royal Decree “Cédula de Gracias” of 1815 on Immigration in Puerto Rico, 1810-1930

Abstract

At the beginning of the 19th Century Puerto Rico was a country without a
definite character, a place that started with a series of continuous migrations. The Spanish
Royal Decree Cédula de Gracias of 1815 strongly promoted a policy of emigration among
its citizens in the Continent, as well in mainland Spain, and of refugees and foreigners
from Europe, North America and the Caribbean. The new Puerto Rico that emerged, that
immigrants created during the century, as an important sugar producer in the Americas,
came from various lineages: exiles, dissenters, slaves and, also, adventurers; many
persecuted and vulnerable people, rich and poor, of decayed economies, regimes, and
wars.