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On March 22, 1873, slavery was legally abolished in Puerto Rico but slaves were not emancipated; they had to buy their own freedom, at whatever price was set by their last masters. They were also required to work for another three years for their former masters, for other colonists interested in their services, or for the state in order to pay ...
Map of the departments of Puerto Rico during Spanish provincial times (1886).. The history of Puerto Rico began with the settlement of the Ortoiroid people before 430 BC. At the time of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1493, the dominant indigenous culture was that of the Taíno.
In the 19th century, slavery in Puerto Rico was increased, as the Spanish, facing economic decline with the loss of all of its colonial territories in the Americas aside from Cuba and Puerto Rico, established and expanded sugar cane production in the island. Since 1789, slaves in Puerto Rico were allowed to earn or buy their freedom.
The Catholic Church has been historically the dominant religious institution in Puerto Rico. The first diocese in the Americas was erected in Puerto Rico in 1511. [21] All municipalities in Puerto Rico have at least one Catholic church (building), most of which are located at the town center or "plaza".
The invasion of Puerto Rico by the American military forces was known as the Puerto Rican Campaign. On May 10, 1898, Spanish forces under the command of Captain Ángel Rivero Méndez in the fortress of San Cristóbal in San Juan, exchanged fire with the USS Yale, and on May 12 a fleet of 12 American ships bombarded San Juan. [60]
In the years that followed, many of the slaves who had been imprisoned and returned to their masters later escaped from their plantations. [1] During the years of slavery there were other minor revolts. Some slaves even participated in El Grito de Lares, Puerto Rico's independence revolt against Spanish rule on September 23, 1868.
On Oct. 18 of that year, the U.S. took control of Puerto Rico and raised the American flag on the island — a decision with echoing consequences still felt 125 years later.
Puerto Rico passed the Civil Rights Act of Puerto Rico in 1943. [ 9 ] In 1945, Eric Williams wrote that like the Virgin Islands , There was an "absence of legal discrimination" in Puerto Rico, further stating that "Children of all colors meet on equal terms in the public schools, though discrimination is prevalent in private schools, even those ...