Puerto Rico and Cuba are known to be two wings of the same bird, mainly due to their great similarities in history, culture and struggles; yet, due to their differences in achieving their self-governing goals. Cuba was able to gain complete independence from Spain and have its own form of government; Nevertheless, Puerto Rico, after gaining independence from Spain, was annexed by the United States of America near the conclusion of the Spanish-American War. Both of these islands, under Spanish rule, survived violent political policies and excessive military personnel on their lands and were able to achieve a form of sovereignty. Puerto Rico and Cuba were Spain's last colonies in the Western Hemisphere; Cuba gained its independence, but Puerto Rico gained a different form of sovereignty by becoming a territory of the United States. Furthermore, this annexation of Puerto Rico by the United States creates a democratic form of colonization; popularly known as a Commonwealth, but worldwide, Puerto Rico is still known as the world's oldest colony. Many believe that 1898 was a year of liberation and domination due to the Spanish-American War (García 39). After the end of the war, Puerto Rico was finally, after centuries of Spanish rule, free from the tyrannical policies of the Spanish government on the island; furthermore, it clearly paved the way for the domination of the island of Puerto Rico by the United States. In the years to come, after the United States took control of Puerto Rico, American military leaders, in order to create a stable political, economic, and social environment, governed the population of Puerto Rico. After years of legislation and negotiations by Puerto Rico's leaders, in 1952...... middle of document......14, 2012).By Rafael, Hernandez Colon. 1998. "Puerto Rico: State or Status Quo? --- Separate Cultures Keep Us Apart." Wall Street Journal, July 23, 1-A16. http://search.proquest.com.esearch.ut.edu/docview/398785262?accountid=14762.Christopher Schmidt-Nowara. “Politics and Ideas in Latin American Independence.” Latin American Research Review 45, no. 2 (2010): 228-235. http://muse.jhu.edu/ (accessed November 14, 2012). Gervasio, Luis Garcia. 2000. “I am the other: Puerto Rico in the eyes of North Americans, 1898.” The Journal of American History 87 (1): 39-64. http://search.proquest.com.esearch.ut.edu/docview/224901779?accountid=14762.Emilio Pantojas-García. “The Puerto Rican Paradox: Colonialism Revisited, 2005.” University of Texas Press Latin American Research Review 40.3 (2005) 163-176 “PUERTO RICO: HOY, AYER Y MANANA”. Impact: 4. June 14, 1994. ProQuest. Web.