America's Occupation of Puerto Rico

America's Occupation of Puerto Rico

On July 25, 1898, American troops led by General Nelson Miles landed at Guanica and began the military invasion of Puerto Rico. Within three days, Miles and his troops secured the city of Ponce and rendered a Spanish surrender a matter of time. Although the Island was taken by force and placed under martial law, the general reaction to the United States invasion was very much positive. In fact, the Puerto Rican people admired U.S. political and economic ideals so much that one local newspaper told it's readers, “from a people who are descendants of Washington, no one should expect a sad surprise ... we trust, with full confidence in the great Republic and the men who govern her.” [1] Unfortunately that confidence was short lived, as the realities of American political and economic agendas set in and led Puerto Rico to be “stranded in a sea of ambiguity, racism, audacity and indifference.” [2] U.S. occupation of Puerto Rico was marked by severe contradictions of so-called `American' ideals pertaining to new and established policies that were extended to Puerto Rico and these contradictions have had profound and long-lasting effects on the development of the island politically, economically and socially.

In 1897, Spain established self-government in Puerto Rico and the people drafted a constitution. One year later, the Spanish would cede Puerto Rico to the United States and that constitution would go basically unrecognized. On the island, the local politicians realized that “`through fate of war' and the force of arms, their constitution was ... irrelevant.” [3] Although the islanders lost their constitution, their confidence in the U.S. coupled with a pledge from General Miles, in which he describes the U.S. goal as, “...to promote your prosperity, and to bestow upon you the immunities and the blessings of the liberal institutions of our government,” [4] had them expecting to eventually write a new and improved constitution as soon as the military government was abolished. Unfortunately, while the Puerto Rican people patiently waited for the Great Republic to deliver liberty, the Americans argued for almost two years about what to do with their new possession.

On April 12, 1900, President McKinley signed the Foraker Act (also known as the first organic act) into law and sealed the political fate of the Puerto Rican people. The act called for a Governor, an Executive Council, and a House of Delegates to govern the island.