Timeline: Puerto Rico
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.
13 events
U.S. Naval Bombardment of San Juan (1898)
On May 12, 1898, a U.S. naval fleet bombarded San Juan for three hours, damaging civilian buildings including the cathedral, before the land invasion began on July 25 at Guánica.
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General Orders No. 101: Legal Framework for Military Dictatorship
Issued July 18, 1898 by the War Department under President McKinley, General Orders No. 101 established the legal framework for U.S. military governance of occupied territories including Puerto Rico. It empowered military governors to administer all civil affairs with the force of law, issue decrees restructuring local institutions, and prepare territories for annexation—establishing what amounted to a military dictatorship lasting nearly two years.
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General Miles's Invasion: The Landing at Guánica (1898)
On July 25, 1898, Major General Nelson A. Miles landed 1,300 US troops at Guánica, beginning the American military campaign that would end Spanish sovereignty over Puerto Rico.
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U.S. Military Invasion of Puerto Rico
On July 25, 1898, U.S. forces invaded Puerto Rico at Guánica during the Spanish-American War, beginning over 125 years of colonial rule that continues to this day.
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General Guy V. Henry: Military Governor and the Dissolution of Autonomy
Brigadier General Guy V. Henry served as second U.S. military governor from December 9, 1898 to May 9, 1899. His most consequential action was dissolving the Autonomic Cabinet on February 6, 1899, effectively ending the self-governing institutions Puerto Ricans had fought decades to achieve under Spain's Autonomic Charter of 1897.
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Treaty of Paris cedes Puerto Rico to the United States
Spain cedes Puerto Rico to the United States as war spoils following the Spanish-American War. Article IX states that the civil rights and political status of Puerto Ricans shall be determined by the Congress.
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U.S. Military Provost Courts in Puerto Rico (1898-1900)
During the U.S. military occupation of Puerto Rico (1898-1900), the American military government replaced Spanish courts with provost courts run by military officers, imposing summary justice without jury trials, due process, or appeal rights, and prosecuting Puerto Ricans under military law for civilian offenses.
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U.S. Military Government of Puerto Rico (1898-1900)
After the invasion, the U.S. imposed direct military government over Puerto Rico for two years (1898-1900), during which military commanders governed by decree, suspended civil liberties, and restructured Puerto Rican institutions to serve American interests.
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Colonial Currency Devaluation: The 40% Theft (1898-1899)
When the U.S. took control of Puerto Rico in 1898, it forced the conversion of the Puerto Rican peso to U.S. dollars at a rate of 60 cents to the peso — instantly devaluing Puerto Rican savings, wages, and debts by 40% and transferring wealth from Puerto Ricans to American businesses.
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General George W. Davis: Last Military Governor
Brigadier General George W. Davis served as the third and final U.S. military governor from May 9, 1899 to May 1, 1900. His tenure was defined by the catastrophic Hurricane San Ciriaco (August 8, 1899, ~3,400 dead), judicial reform establishing independent courts, and preparation for the transition to civilian government under the Foraker Act.
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Formation of the Porto Rico Battalion (1899)
The Porto Rico Battalion of Volunteer Infantry, activated May 20, 1899, was the first military unit composed of Puerto Rican troops under U.S. command. Initially with 1,969 soldiers but all officers were white Americans ("Continentals")—Puerto Ricans did not receive officer commissions until 1905. The unit was redesignated the Porto Rico Regiment on July 1, 1899, and its lineage leads directly to the 65th Infantry Regiment (the Borinqueneers).
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The Carroll Report: U.S. Assessment of Puerto Rico (1899)
President McKinley sent Henry K. Carroll to Puerto Rico in 1899 to assess the island's conditions and recommend a governance framework. The Carroll Report documented widespread poverty and illiteracy while recommending limited self-government, shaping the Foraker Act of 1900.
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King Sugar: American Corporate Domination (1900-1940)
In the first four decades of U.S. rule, American sugar corporations transformed Puerto Rico into a sugar monoculture, concentrating land ownership, displacing small farmers, and extracting enormous profits to the mainland while leaving workers in poverty.
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