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Apr 2, 1513
Early Spanish Reach America
Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon lands along the Florida coast to find the "Fountain Of Youth", claiming the territory in the name of the Spanish crown. He would return in 1521 to establish a colony, but his party, attacked by Native Americans, was forced to retreat to Cuba, where he died. -
Sep 8, 1565
Settlement in St. Augustine
Spanish admiral and explorer Pedro Menendez de Aviles lands at what will become the settlement of St. Augustine, Florida, near the spot Ponce de Leon reached 52 years earlier. -
Los Angeles Founded
The Treaty of Cordoba established Mexico's independence from Spain. Devastated post-war, Mexico began inviting select Anglo settlers to its state of Texas, who were impressed by the availability of inexpensive land. -
Florida
Joseph Marion Hernandez became the first Hispanic member of Congress, serving during the 17th Congress until March 3, 1823. A prominent plantation owner born in St. Augustine, Spanish Florida, Hernandez fought for Spain to stop U.S. encroachment into the state, but later for the United States, eventually running unopposed and serving as Florida’s first territorial delegate. -
Battle of the Alamo, Mexican-American War
After 13 days of siege, Mexico's President and General Antonio Lopez Santa Anna, with 1,000-plus Mexican soldiers, stormed the Alamo, killing most of the Texan soldiers inside, who included now-famous heroes Davy Crockett, James Bowie, and Lt. Col. William Travis, even those who had surrendered. "Remember the Alamo!" becomes a battle cry for the Texas militia. -
Fourteenth Amendment
The Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was adopted. Section 1 states that "all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside." -
Spanish American War Ending
The U.S. declares war against Spain, with major campaigns fought in Cuba and the Philippines. The Spanish-American War, which ends December 10, 1898 with the Treaty of Paris, marks the end of Spain's colonial power, with the country granting Cuba independence and ceding Guam, Puerto Rico and the Phillipines to the United States. -
Puerto Ricans Granted US Citizenship
President Wilson signs the Jones-Shafroth Act, granting U.S. citizenship to Puerto Ricans and creating a bicameral legislature in the island territory. With the United States about to enter World War I, it also gives America a stronghold and allows Puerto Ricans to join the U.S. Army. -
Border Patrol
Congress creates the Border Patrol, part of the Department of Labor's Immigration Bureau, as established in the Labor Appropriation Act of 1924. In 1925, its patrol areas included the seacoast. -
First Hispanic Senator Sworn in
Octaviano Ambrosio Larrazolo of New Mexico is sworn in as the country's first Hispanic senator. The Republican attorney, born in Mexico, immigrated to the United States when he was a boy. He served one term as governor of New Mexico and was later elected twice to the state House of Representatives before running for the U.S. Senate.