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Us invasion of puerto rico
Puerto rico colonization essay
What is the significance of Puerto Rico during early colonization
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The History of Colonial Rule of Puerto Rico by United States
On July 25, 1898 the United States arrived in Puerto Rico. The U.S. defeated the Spanish and gained possession of the island. Despite the intimidation the Americans inflicted on the Puerto Ricans, the Puerto Ricans remained hopeful. The Americans were the representatives of the free world. They had written the Constitution and provided a Bill of Rights for their inhabitants. The Americans were the advocates of democracy, and the Puerto Ricans hoped the Americans would show the pathway to freedom.
Unfortunately, the wishes of the Puerto Ricans were never fulfilled. The United States established a military government. The Americans arrived with racist, arrogant attitudes. They deemed the the Puerto Ricans ill equipped for self government, as as the descendants, or pupils of the inferior Spanish. The Americans believed only they could establish Puerto Rico as a respectable nation, because the United States possessed an arrogance rarely seen. As a result, they claimed Puerto Rico as their possession, to do with what they seemed appropriate. What resulted was an adverse effect on Puerto Rico brought upon by Americans, from an economical, political and social standpoint. The rule of the United States over Puerto Rico also further obscured the definition of Puerto Rican identity.
The impact of early U.S. Colonial rule had an adverse economic effect on Puerto Rico. Before the arrival of the U.S. in 1898, coffee was the premier enterprise in Puerto Rico. Puerto Rican coffee was highly regarded in Europe for the quality of its flavor and had a price in the markets of Cuba, France, Spain and Germany. After U.S. possession, Spain considered Puerto Rico a foreign country, and raised its import tax on Puerto Rican coffee, while Cuba quadrupled its tariff on the Puerto Rican product.
II. Body a. Should Puerto Rico become a state? i. How would it benefit the government? ii. The.
The Americans were losing patience over the whole Cuban affair because Spain cut shipping and economic interests from Cuba. Americans wanted the economic situation resolved so they could get back to the economic fortunes they were used to; therefore, the worsening economy was one of the main causes of the War of 1898. When the United States finally denounced the dominance of the Spanish government in Cuba, Spain cut its economic ties with the United States. Trade for the United States was impacted greatly. Due to the sharp drop of sugar prices that took place from early 1884, the old Cuban “sugar nobility,” unable to mechanize and cut costs, began to disintegrate and lose its dominant role in the island’s economy and society (Hernandez). This facilitated the United States’ penetration of the Cuban economy, and the United States took over sugar estates and mining interests. It was American machinery, technicians, and capital that helped save the Cuban sugar mills.
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.
Puerto Rico spent most of its history under the control of Spain. In the year 1898, the islanders wanted their freedom and welcomed the U.S. invaders as their last hope of liberation from Spanish control. The United States brought the promise of democracy to Puerto Rico, but its true intentions did not include letting go of the island. Although the United States claimed that its intentions were to civilize Puerto Rico and help it become a democratic society, its hypocritical manner of dealing with the island had a great impact on Puerto Rican development. The early years of U.S. colonization affected many aspects of Puerto Rico, including economics, politics, and social relations.
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]
It explains everything above and what most Puerto Ricans are against losing and what are some of the cons if Puerto Rico becomes the 51st state but still the pros of the situation. Proponents believe that Puerto Rico should be the 51st state because it will benefit Puerto Ricans in many ways. Puerto Ricans will have more opportunities as a state and it will bring more federal help for PR. As a state, Puerto Rico will rise from the poverty line since they are below the poverty line and American statehood could be the answer to many of the problems the island is facing.
Puerto Rico is a Commonwealth of the United States which makes it easy for natives to travel back and forth. Puerto Ricans first began to arrive in the United States to fill the work void left but those who went on to fight in World War I. Operation Bootstrap was a series of projects that attempted to turn Puerto Rico; a known agricultural economy to one that would concentrate on industrialization and tourism. Puerto Rico enticed many U.S companies with tax exemptions and differential rental rates on industrialized properties and so the shift in the economy had commenced. The shift however did not help the high unemployment rate on the island. Rather than having to deal with the droves of people seeking work they noticed the active recruitment of Puerto Rican workers by U.S. employers. The government began to encourage the departure of Puerto Ricans to the U.S. by requesting the Federal Aviation Administration to lower the airfares between Puerto Rico and the United States. This was an attempt to ch...
Killing and disposing of animals because there is no room available for them is unnecessary and inhumane. A shelter is usually a place where something or someone is offered protection and refuge. But what happens when a shelter does the exact opposite of giving something protection? Sadly this happens to various animals each year that are brought to Kill Shelters. The ASPCA has stated that three to four million animals are euthanized in shelters in the United States: an absolutely shocking 60% of all animals that belong to shelters(McLellan). Many of these animals that are irrationally killed are completely worthy of adoption.The main reason for all these senseless killings is overpopulation. Generally when shelters can no longer locate homes for animals they can no longer keep do to overpopulation the first and simplest option that comes to mind is to euthanize them. The animals could be in perfect condition physically but the shelters still kill the animals regardless of the conditions of the animals. Also, in many cases the animals may also be completely worthy of becoming adopted but the shelters still euthanize these animals who cannot possibly...
Animals are beloved creatures among the human race, and are deeply cared for. As caretakers of pets, those caretakers have a responsibility to these animals. One of those responsibilities includes making sure all animals are properly taken care of and are placed in a loving home. Many of these poor animals, mostly cats and dogs, are cast unwanted onto the streets to fend for themselves. Once they are cast out, where are they to end up? The ones that survive being discarded by neglectful owners are usually found and taken to a nearby animal shelter. These shelters are set up and designed for stray animals to be taken care of until a new owner can be found. Shelters also graciously accept pets from owners who choose to surrender their animals, and are re-homed by the shelter. Some of these shelters have what is known as a no-kill policy, which states that any animal fit to be adopted out, will be. Other shelters do not have this policy, and will euthanize a healthy animal for a variety of reasons. The most common reason for euthanizing a healthy animal is space. Most shelters are not well funded, and cannot afford to take care of a large number of animals; unfortunately, more animals are being discarded than are taken in by local shelters. Though most people would claim that killing animals to make space is wrong, there are actually many practical reasons for it; in most cases shelters that lack a no-kill policy are better for the animals in the long run.
Commercialism played the most important role in starting the Spanish American War. The US needed Cuba and the Philippines because they were essential to trade and business. American business had an investment of about $50 million in Cuba and an annual trade stake of about $100 million. Senator Lodge said that whoever has control of Cuba will be able to control the entire Gulf of Mexico, which was important because Cuba was in the direct line of the Panama Canal. The Panama Canal was a key feature to the US Navy, so a base was needed in the Caribbean in order to protect it. A free and independent Cuba would help the US because it could put a naval base there. The overseas market was also important to trade and business with other countries. By getting control of the Philippines, the US would form commercial relations with countries in Asia. Raw materials that originated from Cuba and the Philippines were...
. Describe your culture. Include things like place of birth, where you were raised, family structure, educational experiences, and career history. What else needs to be included?
Animals are overpopulated, and it is costing countries money to euthanize, or use chemicals kill animals with a shot, animals. Money is also being taken for shelters to operate. Some countries didn’t pay for the euthanization of their pet problem though, they found another way to try to fix the issue. “.... the dogcatchers of New York caught 5,825 dogs, which were then placed into crates and lowered into the East River to drown.”(Jennifer Sexton and Tom Warhol, Domestic Animal Overpopulation). According to Jennifer Sexton and Tom Warhol in Domestic Animal Overpopulation, “Catching, feeding and caring for unwanted animals costs taxpayers and private agencies millions of dollars each year, as do adoption and education programs.” Citizens, animals, and shelters are affected by this issue of animal overpopulation. Citizens are affected because their taxes are being put to shelters, the shelters are then cost for chemicals to put the pets to sleep. The animals are th...
For 113 days during the summer of 1898, the United States was at war with Spain. Neither the president of the United States, nor his cabinet, nor the the queen of Spain, nor her ministers wanted the war wanted the war. It happened eventhough they made their best efforts to prevent it. It happened because of ambition, miscalculation, and stupidity; and it happened because of kindness, wit, and resourcefulness. It also happened because some were indifferent to the suffering of the world’s wretched and others were not (O’Toole 17). By winning the war the United States proved the the rest of the world and to itself that it could and would fight against foreign nations. For many years, world power had been concentrated in the countries in Europe. Nations such as Great Britain, France, Germany, and Spain had the most influence in global affairs. But a shift in power was gradually taking place as the United States matured. The young nation gained wealth and strength. Its population grew immensely, and many people believed it would become a major world power (Bachrach, 11) Spain was one of the many European countries that had territory in the United States. Spain controlled mostly some islands off the coast of Central America. The most important of these were Cuba and Puerto Rico. The United States was led to believe that the Spanish mosgoverned and abused the people of these islands. In fact, Spain did overtax and mistreat the Cubans, who rebelled in 1868 and again in 1895. Thus, the American people felt sympathetic toward the Cuban independence movement. In addition, Spain had frequently interfered with trade between its colonies and the United States. Even though the United States had been a trading partner with Cuba since the seventeenth century, Spain sometimes tried to completely stop their trade with Cuba. In Spain doing so, this sometimes caused damage to U.S. commercial interests. The United States highly disagreed with Spain’s right to interfere with this trade relationship. (Bachrach, 12) The United States was also concerned that other trading and commercial interests were threatened by the number of ships and soldiers Spain kept in the area. If the United States had to fight a war with Canada or Mexico, these Spanish forces could quickly mobilize against the United States.
Did you know, according to the “Pet Statistics” from ASPCA, there were about 5,000 animal shelters in the United States? In those shelters, about 5-7 million animals were rescued each year and approximately 3-4 million of them were euthanized. That was nearly half to the animal rescued. In other words, thousands of animals were euthanized daily. However, many of these euthanized animals were healthy, treatable, and adoptable pets. What caused these adoptable companions to be euthanized in animal shelters? The major cause was the overpopulation of animals without a home. Moreover, the irresponsible owners and breeders that did not sterilize their animals caused the overpopulation of animals.
On July 25, 1898 United States troops invaded Puerto Rico during the Spanish American War . As Olga Jimenez de Wagenheim and Kal Wagenheim state“ The war marked new eras for both the United States and Puerto Rico. It was America’s first major step as an imperialist power , The Spanish American War was a small war , edging towards immense consequences ” (77) . December 10, 1898 The Treaty of Paris between The United States and Spain was signed, Spain ceded Puerto Rico to the United States . From there on The United States gained total control of the island of Puerto Rico and “ undertook a sustained Americanization campaign designed to make Puerto Rico in its sympathies , views, and attitude toward life and toward government essentially American” ( Morris 7 ). The United States claimed that their intention of possessing the island was to free the island from the Spanish but, Puerto Ricans soon learned that they would just be a controlled possession of the United States , this made some natives very unhappy. In just a short period of time Puerto Rico went from being a possession of Spain to the possession of the United States . Going through these sudden changes has caused many issues in the political , economic, and social status of Puerto Rico.