Figure 1.--These white outfits became common attire in Spanish America, Cuba and Purto Rico languished as part of what was left of the Spanish American Empire after the wars of independence. This commercial postcard, probably from the 1910s show the mountenous terraine of Puerto Rico and was the reason Puerto Rico did not have the big sugar plantations found on Cuba. Notice that the boy is wearing clothing styled more like the Sopanish than the American era.

Puerto Rico was inhabited by the Arawak (Taíno) Native Americans. They called the island Borinquen and the Borinquen are today seen as a sub group of the Arawaks. Puerto Rico was one of the first Spanish colonies in the New World. Columbus landed on the island during his second voyage (1493). The Spanish enslaved the Native American population they found on the island and through mistreatment and exposure to European diseases they quickly died out. Many Tainos were killed in an uprising against the Spanish (1506). The Spanish than began importing black Africans to work as slaves. Puerto Rico did not have much of the gold the Spanish were seeking. The main crop quickly became sugar. The Spanish because of the strategic importance of the island built a massive fortification at San Juan--El Moro. The island gradually became a backwater of the Spanish Empire. Puerto Rico and Cuba were after the war of liberation on the mainland, the last two Spanish colonies in the New World. The Spanish King issued a 'Cedula de Gracia' to increase the European population of Puerto Rico which ws largely slaves of African discent. The Crown awarded land grants to immigrants (early 19th century). The Puerto Rican abolitionist movement persued an extended struggle to end slavery on the island. Cuba and Puerto Rico were some of the last places in the Americas where slavery persisted. The Spanish National Assembly finally abolished slavery in Puerto Rico (1873). This left Brazil as the last bastion of slavery in the America. The United States liberated both islands from Spanish colonial rule in the Spanish American War (1898). The major battles of the War were fought on Cuba which had a substantial Spanish garrison. The Foraker Act established a civil government (1900). The Jones Act granted Puerto Ricans U.S. citizenship (1917). This layed the foundation for the drafting of Puerto Rico's Constitution and the holding of democratic elections (1952). Puerto Rico became an American Commonwealth, a status the island still has. There is no consensus in Puerto Rico about seeking statehood or independence. Puerto Rico played its role in World War II.

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Crerated: 6:42 PM 3/7/2008
Last updated: 6:42 PM 3/7/2008