Treaty of Paris cedes Puerto Rico to the United States

The Transfer

On December 10, 1898, the Treaty of Paris was signed, formally ending the Spanish-American War. Under Article II, Spain ceded Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines to the United States. Puerto Rico was not consulted. No Puerto Rican representative was present at the negotiations.

Article IX

The treaty's Article IX is the legal foundation of Puerto Rico's colonial status:

"The civil rights and political status of the native inhabitants of the territories hereby ceded to the United States shall be determined by the Congress."

This single sentence placed 953,000 people under the absolute authority of a Congress in which they had no representation. It remains in force today.

Context

The U.S. invasion of Puerto Rico on July 25, 1898 was part of a broader imperial strategy. General Nelson Miles promised Puerto Ricans that the United States came "bearing the banner of freedom." Within two years, Puerto Rico had less self-governance than it had achieved under Spain's Autonomous Charter of 1897.