Language/English/Culture/Puerto-Rico-Timeline

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Historical Timeline for Puerto Rico - A chronology of key events
Puerto-Rico-Timeline-PolyglotClub.png

Puerto-Rico-Timeline-PolyglotClub.jpg

Puerto Rico Timeline[edit | edit source]

Date Event

The pre-Columbian period[edit | edit source]

2000 BC AD Historians assure that the first inhabitants of the island came from the Amerindian culture of Ortoiroide. In 1990, the discovery on the island of Vieques of the remains of the bones of the man from Puerto Ferro, a man who once belonged to this people, confirms this thesis.
From 430 to 250 BC. AD Another Amerindian people, the Saladoides, forced the Ortoiroides to leave the island. The Taino community then developed, originally from Venezuela. Historians estimate the number of Tainos in Puerto Rico to be between 30,000 and 60,000 at the end of the 15th century.

Spanish time[edit | edit source]

1493 Christopher Columbus discovers Puerto Rico during his second voyage to the New World.
1500 Vicente Yañez Pinzón is appointed first governor of the island, which is then called San Juan Bautista. Finally dead before arriving on the island, he will never discover the territory.
1508 Then governor, Juan Ponce de León introduces the first Spanish colony on the island.
1515 The first cane sugar plantations arrive, imported from Santo Domingo.
1518 The first slaves from Africa landed in Puerto Rico.
1519 The Spaniards move their headquarters to Caparra. They then founded San Juan. It was only 20 years later that the defensive constructions of Morro and La Fortaleza began, authorized by Carlos V.
1521 The capital officially takes the name of San Juan de Puerto Rico.
1589 Spanish architects arrive in San Juan to complete the construction of the San Felipe del Morro castle. The fortress then sees its final alterations carried out, so as to deter pirates.
1595 On the orders of Queen Isabelle, who seeks to recover a treasure that is on board a Spanish ship, the British launch an attack on the maritime territory of Puerto Rico.
1598 New British offensive, this time on land. George Clifford, Earl of Cumberland, attacks San Juan and manages to seize it. But an epidemic of dysentery forced him to leave the place a few weeks later.
1599 The following year, the Spanish crown sends nearly 400 soldiers and 46 cannons. It also appoints a new governor, Alonso de Mercado. No more question of being invaded again.
1625 The Dutch make a significant breakthrough at the entrance to San Juan. But the Spanish troops finally manage to push them back. The city suffered significant damage.
1630 Construction of the walls around San Juan begins. It will last 48 years.
1755 First coffee plantations.
1780 In one of his writings, the French historian Guillaume Raynal states that Puerto Rico is, in proportion to its size, the best island in the world.
1797 Spanish victory against British assaults supported by 7,000 men and 68 ships.
1809 Puerto Rico becomes a province of the Kingdom of Spain and is therefore no longer considered a colony.
1815 The King of Spain, Fernando VII orders several decrees that liberalize trade with Puerto Rico, in the great Royal Decree of Grace. This decision leads to a notable emigration of French people to Puerto Rico.
1843 Construction of the first maritime lighthouse at the top of Morro.
1868 On September 23 takes place El Grito de Lares, a small revolution of part of the population, which demands the independence of Puerto Rico. The movement is led by Manuel Rojas.
1870 The Spanish administration recognizes the creation of the Liberal Reformist Party and the Liberal Conservative Party as the first two political parties in Puerto Rico.
1873 On March 22, the Spanish crown abolished slavery on the island.
1887 In March, Ramón Baldorioty de Castro launched the Autonomist Party, with the aim of creating a political identity specific to Puerto Rico.

The takeover by the United States[edit | edit source]

1890 Publication of Alfred T. Mahan's political book, The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, 1660-1783. This work invites Washington to control as many islands as possible in the Caribbean, Hawaii and the Philippines and to create a channel between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. One goal: to guarantee the commercial supremacy of the United States.
1896 On December 7, Washington threatens to intervene in Cuba if Spain fails to restore calm there.
1897 Spain grants an Autonomy Card, but remains under the control of Madrid. That same year, the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico and Puerto Rico was created. It becomes the first legislative body of the island.
1898 In March, Julio J. Henna and Robert H. Todd, leaders of the Puerto Rican section of the Cuban Revolutionary Party in Havana, begin to exchange information with the US executive. They ask in particular to include Puerto Rico in any action carried out in Cuba. They will deliver crucial information on the Spanish positions in Puerto Rico.
On March 29 Washington issued an ultimatum asking Spain to leave Cuba. Madrid reject it on April 1.
On April 11 US President William McKinley asked Congress for permission to intervene in Cuba between the revolutionaries and the Spanish army. Congress will formulate a resolution on the 19th authorizing the US military to intervene, without having the objective of administering Cuba after the conflict.
On May 12 an American fleet bombed San Juan, as part of the war with Spain.
On July 25 American troops land under the orders of General Nelson Miles.
On December 10, 1898 the Treaty of Paris ensures the transfer of the sovereignty of Puerto Rico from Spain to the United States.
1899 Reorganization of political parties, under American supervision.
1900 Appointment of the first US civilian governor. He was chosen by then-president William McKinley.

American time[edit | edit source]

1900 Coffee becomes the culture that generates the most profits in Puerto Rico.
1903 Foundation of the University of Puerto Rico in Río Piedras.
1906 On November 11, US President Theodore Roosevelt is on an official visit to San Juan, and in a speech he recommends Puerto Ricans to become citizens of the United States.
1912 4 activists found the Independence Party. It is the first party that wants nothing but independence for Puerto Rico. Even if it lasts only a short time, it has the merit of inspiring many ideological currents defending the autonomy of Puerto Rico.
1916 On December 5, US President Wilson invites Congress to quickly draft a law granting US citizenship to Puerto Ricans, through the Jones-Shafroth Act.
1917 Implementation of the Jones Law which grants American citizenship to all Puerto Ricans. However, the latter have neither the right to vote nor the duty to pay federal taxes.
1920 75% of the population works for the sugar industry.
1922 At the conclusion of the Balzac lawsuit against Puerto Rico, the Supreme Court of the United States declares that Puerto Rico is a territory, rather than a part of the Union. This ruling suggests that the US constitution cannot apply to Puerto Rico.
1937 Massacre of Ponce, 17 independence activists are shot dead by the police.
1932 Women acquire the right to vote in Puerto Rican elections.
1942 In the midst of World War II, the American executive reinforces the Morro structure. In particular, an underground level and a more modern observation post have been added.
1947 The Jones law is amended. Puerto Ricans can now elect their governor.
1948 Operation Bootstrap is set up, supposed to ensure the transition from an economy based on agriculture to an economy based on industry.

Puerto Rico as an associated Free State[edit | edit source]

1949 Luis Muñoz Marín becomes the first governor elected by the people of Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico becomes an associated state.
1950 On May 13, Antonio Fernos Isern, commissioned by the Puerto Rican government, presents a bill to the United States House of Representatives to authorize the drafting of a constitution. In the same year, Public Law 600 was passed, which recognized Puerto Rico's right to choose its government and established the guidelines for drafting the constitution.
1951 By 76.5% of favorable votes, the people of Puerto Rico approve the constitutional relationship between Puerto Rico and the United States.
1952 March 3, approval of the constitution by referendum. On July 25, Puerto Rico becomes a Free State associated with the United States. The Puerto Rican flag is officially recognized.
1954 Attack on the US Congress in Washington by a suicide squad made up of 4 Puerto Rican independence activists.
1967 60% of Puerto Ricans proclaim through the ballot box that they do not wish to see Puerto Rico's associated free state status changed. They thus refuse independence.
1969 Crisis in the sugar industry.
1973 Beginning of negotiations between San Juan and Washington, to guarantee the free determination of the Puerto Rican State as much as possible.
1974 The international economic crisis causes a sharp increase in unemployment. It now concerns 21% of the working population.
1976 To help Puerto Rico out of the economic crisis, the US Congress passes clause 936 of the Tax Act, offering numerous tax advantages to national companies wishing to move to Puerto Rico and employing local workers. The same year, an international summit was organized in San Juan by US President Gerald Ford. He invites the leaders of the main industrialized countries to encourage them to invest on the island.
1978 On July 25, a group of Puerto Rican police kills 2 independence activists on Mount Maravilla. The police will be congratulated a few days later by the governor of the time, who goes so far as to describe them as heroes. An investigation published a few months later concluded with the assassination and will be used by the courts to sentence the police to heavy prison terms.
1989 Governor Rafael Hernández Colón calls on the people to a plebiscite to decide on the political status of the island.
1991 San Juan asks the US Congress for a resolution authorizing the holding of a plebiscite to find out if the people want Puerto Rico to be converted into a federal state. But the House of Representatives refuses, going against the very advice of US President George Bush.
1992 Unemployment concerns 16% of the working population. Tax measures are adopted to attract companies in the industrial electronics and biology sectors to locate in Puerto Rico.
1993 On January 24, a monster demonstration invades the streets of San Juan. The Neoprogressist Party, which had just won the elections two months earlier, and which was in favor of incorporating Puerto Rico into the United States, voiced the idea of ​​making English the only official language. A serious mistake, the streets will make it known in San Juan, but also in all the other important cities of the island. In the final, English and Spanish are recognized as the two official languages ​​of Puerto Rico. The same year, a plebiscite on the political status of the island revealed that 48% of voters were in favor of maintaining Puerto Rico as an associated free state, while 46% of voters wanted Puerto Rico to become a federal state of the States. United.
1996 The US Congress no longer grants tax benefits to US companies that set up in Puerto Rico. He even explains that he intends to gradually eliminate the current advantages.
1997 Bill Clinton ensures that he will respect the Puerto Ricans' choice resulting from a possible referendum on the political status of the island.
1998 The United States House of Representatives authorizes Puerto Rico to initiate the process of determining whether Puerto Ricans prefer independence, associated free state status, or federal statehood. On December 13, the popular plebiscite confirmed Puerto Rico's status as an associated free state. 50.3% of voters are in favor, while 46.5% would have liked Puerto Rico to become the 51st state of the United States. Only 2.5% of voters want Puerto Rico to become an independent country.
2000 Sila María Calderón becomes the first female governor of Puerto Rico.

Also that year, demonstrations were held to protest against the military naval activities of the US military around the island of Vieques.

2003 The US Navy abandons its bases on the island of Vieques.
2008 After 2 years of investigation and two trials, the governor of Puerto Rico Anibal Acevedo Vila is accused of corruption and 12 other crimes by the federal government. This is the first time in Puerto Rican history that such a scenario has occurred.
2009 The island is in recession and short of cash. She got into debt and plunged into a deep economic and financial crisis. Companies file for bankruptcy, taxes go up. The island tries to repay its debts with new loans, an endless circle. A state of fiscal emergency is declared.
2011 Barack Obama was visiting Puerto Rico on June 14, 2011. The last White House tenant to make the trip was Kennedy in 1961.
2012 The governor of Puerto Rico holds a referendum to extend the current status of associated free state until 2020. 65% of voters are in favor of a change of status that would allow Puerto Rico to become a state of the United States.
2013 Alejandro García Padilla is elected Governor of Puerto Rico.
2014 The government declares itself in default of payment. This generated the start of a massive exodus of Puerto Ricans to the United States with the departure of more than 70,000 people in 2015, exacerbating the economic crisis. Since then, the numbers have continued to increase.
2017 On January 2, 2017, Ricardo Rosselló was elected Governor of Puerto Rico. He is a member of the New Progressive Party.
June 11, 2017 the new governor organized a non-binding consultative referendum to support the desire of Puerto Ricans to make their island the 51st state of the United States. Boycotted by the population and the opposition, it brings together only 23% of the electorate.

At the same time, independence activist Oscar López Rivera is released from US prison after 36 years behind bars.

September 20, 2017 Puerto Rico experienced a major Category 5 hurricane called Maria. His passage plunges the island into chaos and causes tensions with the White House. Donald Trump, President of the United States, saddens Puerto Ricans with his inappropriate behavior during his visit on October 3, 2017.

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