Changes

United States interests in Puerto Rico, and the wider Caribbean for that matter, had increased to a high level by 1890, as the US emerged as a major naval power. By this time, there were interests to acquire Panama or another nearby country to create the Panama canal, while others in the US government had advocated for Caribbean bases such as Cuba and Puerto Rico. By 1894, the Naval War College had anticipated that war with Spain, which had controlled Puerto Rico and Cuba, would likely occur. Puerto Rico's valuable sugar crops were also of interest, particularly as the sugar industry was not developed within the US. On February 15, 1898, the <i>USS Maine</i> mysteriously sank, after having been dispatched to monitor events in Cuba which had revolted against Spain. This led the US to declare war and resulted in a relatively quick victory as the US had decisive naval power. On July 25, 1898 (Figure 1), US forces landed near Guánica, Puerto Rico. To this day, this landing is commemorated as Constitution Day in Puerto Rico, which was previously called Occupation Day as the start of the US presence on the island. After the US landing, military action continued until August 13, 1898, but the fighting was inconclusive for all sides. However, by this time, an armistice was signed and the US was left in control of the entire island on the agreements made in the Treaty of Paris that officially concluded the Spanish-American War.<ref>For more on early interests in Puerto Rico, see: Figueroa, L.A., 2005. <i>Sugar, slavery, & freedom in nineteenth-century Puerto Rico</i>. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill.</ref>