http://www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/1898/chronpr.

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Under General Nelson Miles his troops land in Guanica on the southern coast of Puerto Rico on July 25 1898. Brig. Gens, George Garretson and Guy v.Henry went to Yauco and gained control of the key railroad line connecting it with Ponce. (The largest city on the island) Miles issued a public proclamation in Ponce stating that the purpose of the U.S. invasion was to bring Puerto Rico a "banner of freedom." U.S. President William McKinley and French Ambassador Jules Cambon, acting on behalf of the Spanish government, signed an armistice. Spain relinquished its sovereignty over the territories of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Philippines. The fate of these countries would be decided on these talks. Then in December 11, 1906 President Theodore Roosevelt tells Puerto Rican congress that Puerto Ricans should become U.S. Citizens recommending it. In March 2, 1917 President Woodrow Wilson signed the Jones Act, which gave Puerto Ricans U.S. citizenship and a bill of rights. Also, it established a locally elected Senate and House of Representatives. Finally in 1922, U.S. Supreme Court declared that Puerto Rico was a territory rather than a part of the Union. The decision said that the U.S. constitution did not apply in Puerto Rico. This gives Puerto Rico a different set of laws for Puerto Rican government to decide on.