A new episode on Kennedy and Churchill is now available!
Sept. 6, 2026

From Rebellion to Rule: How Puerto Rico Was Absorbed Into the American Empire

From Rebellion to Rule: How Puerto Rico Was Absorbed Into the American Empire
From Rebellion to Rule: How Puerto Rico Was Absorbed Into the American Empire
Presidencies of the United States
From Rebellion to Rule: How Puerto Rico Was Absorbed Into the American Empire

Year(s) Discussed: 1898-1918


In the second half of the conversation, with my special guest, Joe Pascone of the Turning Tides Podcast, we move from Puerto Rico’s 19th-century struggle for autonomy into the island’s capture by the United States and the legal limbo that followed. We examine the fallout of the Spanish-American War, the rise of American corporate and political control, and the ways Puerto Ricans resisted cultural erasure through language, politics, and identity. The discussion closes by showing how the island’s status was shaped by racism, empire, and unfinished debates that still define Puerto Rico today.


More information can be found at https://www.presidenciespodcast.com.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.