During the Spanish-American War, U.S. armed forces under the command of General Nelson A. Miles invaded Puerto Rico on July 25, 1898, and took possession of the Island.
One of the most tireless defenders of independence for Puerto Rico under Spanish colonial rule, Sotero Figueroa was a mulatto artisan who, in addition to working as a typographer, was also a journalist, poet and playwright.
Ramón Emeterio Betances Alacán was the son of Felipe Betances, a Dominican immigrant tied to the world of the sugar trade and business, and María del Carmen Alacán, a native of Cabo Rojo.