The Identity of a Puerto Rican Sidney W. Mintz describes the Caribbean as "a scattering of some fifty inhabited units spanning nearly 2, 500 miles of sea between Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and the north coast of South America, constitute the oldest colonial sphere of Western European overseas expansion... these territories were dominated and navigated and explored, their aborigines had been thrust into the consciousness of European monarchs, philosophers, and scientists" (17). The islands in the
The Identity of a Black Puerto Rican When the United States invaded and took over Puerto Rico in 1898, race relations acquired yet another facet. "At the beginning of the century, President McKinley carried out military interventions in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines with U.S. corporate interests in mind (Schirmer)" Like Spain, the United States also intended to use Puerto Rico to its own advantage. In his project, David Bernstein states, "The United States used its power to restrict
Colonialism and Puerto Rican Identity In order to understand the current situation of Puerto Ricans one must look at their history and retrace the sequence of events that led to the current formation of the Puerto Rican people. An important component of this history is the time Puerto Rico spent under Spanish rule. Studying this portion of Puerto Rican history forces us to acknowledge the contribution the Spaniards, European immigrants, and African slaves had on Puerto Rican identity as we consider it
Puerto Rican Identity and Spanish Colonial Rule The debate on Puerto Rican Identity is a hot bed of controversy, especially in today’s society where American colonialism dominates most of the island’s governmental and economic policies. The country wrestles with the strong influence of its present day colonizers, while it adamantly tries to retain aspects of the legacy of Spanish colonialism. Despite America’s presence, Puerto Ricans maintain what is arguably their own cultural identity which seems
The Identity of an American Puerto Rican Am I "American" or "Puerto Rican", a question that wanders along the halls of my mind all the time? Many Puerto Ricans might not agree, but I feel that I am, "American", Puerto Rican American that is. As a child my own parents deprived me of my culture and true identity. They spoke to me in a language that many Puerto Ricans refused or detested to learn, English. The only thing I can actually say that I know about Puerto Rican heritage is the comida we
communicate with more diverse groups of people. These values concerning the importance of language are shared by the Puerto Rican historian José Luis González. In his essay "Puerto Rico: The four Storeyed [sic] Country," he discusses the effects of US colonial rule on Puerto Rican culture. In discussing the relationship between language and cultural hegemony he claims that: "We Puerto Ricans have to learn English, not as the route to cultural suicide whereby we become dissolved into the turbulent mainstream
with a diverse group of races, extreme distinctions in class differences, and mixing of culture. This was the case for Puerto Rico, which was just as much affected by colonialism as other areas, but has certain qualities which make the Puerto Rican identity unique. After conquering Puerto Rico in 1508 Juan Ponce de Leon looked for a labor supply which he could use to produce riches for Spain and himself. He attempted to force the native Tainos into hard labor and plantation life, but could keep
The History of Oppressed Puerto Rico Jesus Colon, in “How to Know the Puerto Ricans,” makes a statement that I believe explains and articulates the effect centuries of exploitation has had on Puerto Rico, and on the identity of Puerto Ricans. He writes, “So when you come to knock at the door of a Puerto Rican home you will be encountered by this feeling in the Puerto Rican-sometimes unconscious in himself-of having been taken for a ride for centuries.”(Santiago, 71) This assertion is appropriate
Puerto Rican Experience in Hartford Hartford is the home to the highest percentage (27%) of Puerto Ricans in the country (Cruz, 5). Nonetheless, Puerto Ricans still face myriad challenges with respect to the integration and acceptance of their culture in Hartford. Although the PR community is only two generations old, Puerto Ricans have managed to both organize and mobilize in this relatively short time (Cruz, 2). Puerto Ricans have focused closely on their ethnic identity because they viewed
The general intentions and plans for the island, however, backfired in that the actual goals and feelings of the people were never taken into account. Upon the arrival of the Americans, Puerto Ricans, for the most part, rejoiced in hopes of new liberties not found under Spanish colonial rule. Puerto Ricans expected “under American sovereignty that the wrongs of centuries” would “be righted.” (Trias-Monge 36) The United States would surely extend its democratic policies to Puerto Rico, as it should
Puerto Ricans' Migration to the United States Immigration to the United States has been occurring for centuries now. For years people from all different parts of the globe have dreamed of living in the United States, which is known to many foreigners as the land of opportunity. There are so many ethnic groups that exist in the United States that it has become known as the melting pot of the world. The Puerto Rican's migration to the United States was not an easy process. The Puerto Ricans faced
Differences Between Island and Mainland Puerto Ricans As many immigrants arrive in the United States of America and begin to call it “home”, comparisons between such immigrants are certainly inevitable. In particular, the U.S. Hispanic population gives more room for such comparisons since their cultures and traditions are very similar. Most of their similarities stem from a common Spanish heritage. However, there is a lot more to being Hispanic than just speaking Spanish or eating rice and beans
The Racial Struggles of Puerto Ricans Another large component of Puerto Ricanness is Race. All of the different cultures that have throughout history combined to form Puerto Rico effect their nationality, history, lifestyles, traditions, music, and foods. The "discovery" or infiltration of the island of Borinquen (or Puerto Rico as it was later renamed) in 1493 by Spain resulted in the decimation of the native Taino population. With the loss of an immediate source of cheap labor to work the
The Language Barrier for Puerto Ricans "Pollito, Chicken Gallina, Hen Lapiz, Pencil y Pluma, Pen. Ventana, Window Puerta, Door Maestra, Teacher y Piso, Floor I sing in English, I sing in Spanish, so all my friends can understand." The issue of language is central to the Puerto Rican experience in the United States. Living in a land where the dominant language is English, this Spanish speaking population is involved in a historical struggle to overcome the language barrier. Among other
Puerto Rican Art Historically, Puerto Rico is only 512 years old. The island was discovered on November 19, 1493 by Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the New World. On the island he found Taino Indians living there. Juan Ponce de León came to the island in 1508 as its first governor. In 1521, the city of San Juan was established. During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Puerto Rico was attacked by the Dutch and English, Spain’s enemies. The island was struggling to attain
Influence of the Spanish on Puerto Rican Society In the histories of Colonial Latin America there is one common aspect and that is the importation of slaves as a labor force. The resulting consequences for the territory are vital if we are to understand the development of the society. In Puerto Rico these consequences deal mainly with African influence on the peasantry, the corrective measures taken thereafter to negate the African influence, and the results of these corrective measures. The
Puerto Rican Music in the United States Music has always been a pervasive symbol of identity. It is a mode of expression that crosses gender, ethnicity and age. One need not understand the lyrics to identify with a musical genre; identification can be found through rhythm, tone of music, as well as other techniques in the music, unrelated to words. For example, most operas are in Italian and obviously everyone that attends an opera, does not speak or understand Italian. However, the audience is
Puerto Ricans Immigrating to America The migration of Puerto Ricans to the United States occurred in two major waves. The first wave was in the 1910s-1940s and the second wave was from the 1960s to the 1990s. Each wave of migrants brought new generations of Puerto Ricans to the United States. Both waves of migrants believed that they were going to live a better life in America and migrated to major cities such as New York City, Chicago, Hartford, etc. The early migrants looked for industrial jobs
Puerto Rican Migration to the United States Unlike Mexicans, Puerto Ricans did not have a vast amount of land. However, the whites in America effected both people. Mexicans would lose their land in the southwest to the Anglos. The Treaty of Guadeloupe would create a harsh environment for the Mexicans where they were not equal citizens. Whites would come into the southwest and take the land that previously belonged to the Mexicans. For Puerto Rico, as in the Mexican struggle, a treaty began a
partake in this colonial expansion because Puerto Rico had tremendous potential for investment and commerce as well as being geo-politically strategic. The U.S. had intentions to take Spain and its influence out of the western-hemisphere. In 1917 Puerto Ricans were granted citizenship to the United States and in 1947 they were permitted to attempt a form of self-governing on the island. From 1952 to the present, Puerto Rico has held a "commonwealth" status. A status that has not been directly defined but