Timeline: Puerto Rico
Taíno Civilization (22)
Spanish Colonial Period (57)
U.S. Military Government (17)
Early U.S. Colonial Period (67)
Commonwealth Era (113)
PROMESA and Fiscal Control (120)
All
Colonial Extraction
Legal Oppression
Cultural Suppression
Environmental Violence
Contemporary Colonialism
Resistance
U.S. Military Government (1898 – 1900)
Following the Spanish-American War, Puerto Rico was placed under direct U.S. military rule. The island was treated as conquered territory.
2 events
1898
Major Event
Colonial Extraction
Environmental Violence
U.S. Naval Blockade of Puerto Rico (1898)
During the Spanish-American War, the U.S. Navy imposed a naval blockade on Puerto Rico beginning in May 1898, cutting off the island from food imports, medical supplies, and trade, causing widespread civilian hunger and economic devastation months before the military invasion.
Sources: 3
1899
Environmental Violence
Colonial Extraction
Hurricane San Ciriaco (1899)
Hurricane San Ciriaco struck Puerto Rico on August 8, 1899 — just one year after the U.S. invasion — killing approximately 3,400 people and destroying the coffee economy, while the U.S. military government provided minimal relief, channeling aid toward sugar production instead.
Sources: 2