9781422286203

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U.S. Territories and Possessions

American warships under the command of Admiral William Sampson bombard San Juan in May 1898. U.S. troops would later invade and capture the island. In the treaty that ended the Spanish-American War, Spain turned control of Puerto Rico over to the United States.

elections and then islanders became citizens of Spain and could send someone to Spain to represent them. But the effects of these gains were lost since Spain decided to appoint unjust governors to govern Puerto Rico. Spain lost control over Puerto Rico and some of its other colonies to the U.S. in 1898, after the Spanish- American war ended. The pattern for rule in Puerto Rico that began with Spain continued with the U.S. Over time, islanders were granted more rights but not complete control. Like Spain, the U.S. saw the

into three groups: Spaniards, Creoles (at the time, this was the term for Spanish people born in a Spanish colony and not in the motherland) were the ruling class; the mestizos were in the middle; and slaves or any free people of African descent were at the lowest level. By the early 19th century, Spain was no longer as powerful as it had been in previous centuries. Puerto Ricans noticed this and took the opportunity to press the Spanish gov- ernment for more independence. First, the island was allowed to hold