How The US Took Puerto Rico - And Made It Poor

Puerto Rico has been a US territory for over 125 years. In 1898, the island was transferred from Spain to the United States following the Spanish-American War. According to economic analyses, what followed was systematic exploitation—corporate takeovers, debt traps, and policies that enriched mainland Americans while impoverishing locals. But how exactly did the United States turn a thriving island into one of the poorest places under its control? That's the central question this video attempts to answer.