Puerto Rico's Identity Formation Under U.S. Colonial Rule
Upon continuing the discussion of what it means to be Puerto Rican, it is clear that the early US colonial rule fundamentally shaped the character of this definition. At the conclusion of the Spanish-American War, Puerto Rico became a possession of the United States subject only to the privileges that the US was willing to grant it. The dichotomy between Puerto Rico’s expectations and what it actually became after 1898, helped to formulate elite definitions of what it meant to be Puerto Rican. This new Puerto Rican identity, which was in large part based upon historical myths, served as defense mechanisms to combat the elite’s dissatisfaction with the new political, social and economic relationships under US rule. Although Puerto Rico under early US colonial rule never met the elites’ expectations, this new emerging nationalist identity never served as an effective challenge to US capitalist hegemony.
Between 1898 and 1900, Puerto Rico came under the rule of a military regime imposed by the US Army. Under the provisions laid out by the Treaty of Paris, the US claimed the legal right to take possession of Puerto Rico as the spoils of War (Fernandez 3-4). Oddly, Ronald Fernandez in his The Disenchanted Island, appears surprised when he notes that "no Puerto Ricans were even part of the negotiating process..." However, in accordance with international law at the time, neither Spain, as the looser of the war, nor Puerto Rico, as the possession of the looser, were in the position to make any legal demands. Upon assuming the responsibility of Puerto Rico’s new colonial master, the US also accepted the "burden" to govern it because "the people of Puerto Rico were not ready f...
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...to Rico is supposed to become now 100 years after 1898.
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Section I,2. Analyze the consequences of American rule in Puerto Rico, Cuba and the Philippines. Did the citizens prosper? Enjoy freedom? Accept American rule? Comment on the consequences for the United States with regard to the statement made by Eric Foner in the text, “Thus, two principles central to American freedom since the War of Independence – no taxation without representation and government based on the consent of the governed – were abandoned when it came to the nation’s new possessions.
In Chapter 8 of Major Problems in American Immigration History, the topic of focus shifts from the United States proper to the expansion and creation of the so called American Empire of the late Nineteenth Century. Unlike other contemporary colonial powers, such as Britain and France, expansion beyond the coast to foreign lands was met with mixed responses. While some argued it to be a mere continuation of Manifest Destiny, others saw it as hypocritical of the democratic spirit which had come to the United States. Whatever their reasons, as United States foreign policy shifted in the direction of direct control and acquisition, it brought forth the issue of the native inhabitants of the lands which they owned and their place in American society. Despite its long history of creating states from acquired territory, the United States had no such plans for its colonies, effectively barring its native subjects from citizenship. Chapter 8’s discussion of Colonialism and Migration reveals that this new class of American, the native, was never to be the equal of its ruler, nor would they, in neither physical nor ideological terms, join in the union of states.
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The intention of this essay is to demonstrate to a vision rational, concordant political leader to the Puerto Rican, American and worldwide reality. It responds to the necessity that to the statehood it is necessary to imagine it and to expose it with all the evidence available, since many Puerto Ricans, including many political leaders, do not know like defending it or exposing it before the peculiar ones or our adversaries.
"America's Great Depression and Roosevelt's New Deal."DPLA. Digital Public Library of America. Web. 20 Nov 2013. .
For us to clearly understand the Young Lords, it must be understood how the Puerto Rican Community came to be in New York City and other American cities such as Newark and Chicago. With the Spanish American War of 1898 came added difficulty for the population of Puerto Rico. Recently acquired by the United States, citizens of Puerto Rico were actually citizens of nowhere until granted statutory citizenship to the United States in 1917. Yet three years earlier, on 12 March 1914 the citizens of Puerto Rico opposing this imposition of American citizenship sent a "Memorandum to the President and Congress of the United States" stating, " We firmly and loyally oppose our being declared, against our express will or without our express content, citizens of any other than our own beloved country which God granted to us as an inalienable gift and incoercible right."[5]
In this story, the reader can see exactly how, many Puerto Ricans feel when living on other grounds. Throughout this time, the boy that Rodriguez presents us realizes he has his culture and that he wants to preserve it as much as he can. “Because I’m Puerto Rican”. I ain’t no American. And I’m not a Yankee flag-waver”
Watkins, T.H.. The Great Depression: America in the 1930s. Boston: Little, Brown & Co., 1993.
Upon arrival at Berkenau-Auswitz, the men and women were separated. It was here that Elie saw his mother and sisters for the last time. With the advise of another prisoner, Elie and Mr. Wiesel, lied about both their ages and occupations in order to get into the same line of men. “The baton moved unremittingly sometimes to the right, sometimes to the left.” (page 29) Happy to be with his father, Elie still did not know if he was in line for the prison or the crematory. The line marched up toward the fires, he could see little children and babies being tossed into the fire. The line moved on past another pit where adults were being burned. After seeing these tragic events, Elie could no longer sleep. He could not believe this was happening and nobody was doing anything to stop it.
The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers."The Great Depression." Teaching Eleanor Roosevelt, ed. by Allida Black, June Hopkins, et. al. (Hyde Park, New York: Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site, 2003). 6 March 2010. .
According to Ornelas there are three main types of abuse; physical, emotional, and verbal. Examples of physical abuse is when the abuser is slapping, kicking, choking, and punching. Emotional abuse involves mind games, jealousy, isolation from friends and family and making the victim feel worthless (Ornelas). Verbal abuse is constant yelling, put downs and threats. A woman who is in love will do whatever it takes to have a relationship with the person they love, which makes it even harder for her to leave when there is abuse involved. Sometimes it is very hard for a woman to recognize the abuse because they are so in love with their partner. It’s very important to recognize the patterns of abuse and domestic violence. All women should take the signs of abuse very seriously. When women start seeing these signs of abuse they need to leave or call for help and not stay with the abuser.
"FSA Photographers Document the Great Depression." FSA Photographers Document the Great Depression. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.
Although it was never intended to be, the acquisition of Puerto Rico resulted in Puerto Rico becoming a colony of the United States, vis-a-vis the laws Congress passed and the nature in which the United States tried to "Americanize" the island. Puerto Rico was a colonial government in the hands of Spain, and although the Puerto Ricans hoped that with American invasion, more freedom would be granted. Unfortunately that did not change when the United States assumed control of the island. The social, economic, and political atmosphere greatly changed as well, and those changes were not necessarily for the better or better than what the Puerto Ricans had while under the control of Spain.