On Sunday March 20, President Barack Obama will become the first sitting American president to visit Cuba since before ties were cut between The United States of America and the communist nation in 1961.

The island nation, much like the now American territory of Puerto Rico, gained independence from Spain following the Spanish-American war and became a U.S. protectorate. The island gained independence from the U.S. in 1902, but American influences still remained strong until the Cuban Revolution in 1959 when the Castro’s took over the country and established ties with the Soviet Union.

President Obama and President Raul Castro of Cuba announced on July 20, 2015, they were beginning to normalize relations between the two countries thanks to assistance from Pope Francis. Many international organizations, including the United Nations General Assembly, support an end to the American embargo on Cuban goods. The end to the embargo would require congressional support and many Republicans, including presidential hopeful Ted Cruz, see normalizing relations as legitimizing the Castros’ communist regime.

President Obama is expected to land in Cuba in the afternoon and on Tuesday make a speech offering an olive branch to the people of Cuba.

Follow @SAConScene for continuing coverage of President Obama’s trip to Cuba.