The Americanization of Puerto Rico
When island inhabitants first heard that Americans were planning on invading Puerto Rico and driving out Spain's rulers, Puerto Ricans welcomed the North Americans to their home. (To view an in-progress work dealing with the Spanish-American War from a pro-colonial expansion point of view, visit this site/ For an objective historical account view this site). The Puerto Ricans were tired of not having a voice in politics and government and with the knowledge that America was a democracy, there was hope that this status quo would change. Although Puerto Ricans felt sentiments of fear at the arrival of the Americans, this did not curb their welcoming and enabling the American invasion. Unfortunately, the outcome of the invasion was not as positive as was thought it would be. During early U.S. rule, Puerto Ricans still were not included in the majority of governmental relations, and as with Spaniards, Americans who were sent to rule in Puerto Rico had never been there before and were ignorant about the history, culture, Spanish language, etc. Basically, Puerto Rico continued being ruled by foreigners who sought to complete their own interests, as opposed to looking to what are the interests of the nation they are invading and ruling.
A cogent metaphor in Ferré's novel for the unrequited hopes that Puerto Rico had when United States invaded is Tony Torres, who is supposedly going to dance in Kerenski's adaptation of Swan Lake and Firebird . The people who lived in Machuelo Abajo reacted to the news of Tony with respect and excitement. In my view, the initial reactions of Machuelo Abajo's young people, were on a smaller scale, comparable to the reaction of Puerto Ricans, especially the elite, to the proposed American invasion. Here is a sample of the reaction to Tony's being selected as Prince in the ballet school's production:
"The young people in Machuelo Abajo saw him as a hero; it was the first time anyone from the slums had ever danced at La Perla or taken part in any way in any of its elegant cultural events. When posters advertising the performance, with Tony's picture, appeared all over town-affixed to the telephone poles and to the walls of buildings and to fences-the people of Manchuelo Abajo took them down, framed them, and hung them in their living rooms. (Ferré, p. 170)"
The Puerto Ricans, especially upper class, regarded the United States as the most powerful democracy in the world.
The history of Puerto Rico under Spanish rule is one of European exploitation of non white peoples for the purpose of economic gain. The ‘discovery’ made by Columbus in 1492 had a great impact on the highly competitive countries in Europe who saw, in lands like Puerto Rico, the possibility of prosperity and advancement. More than hoping to spread their influence or religion, Europeans wanted to take advantage of the lands and resources which seemed unused. Actually the lands were being used quite successfully, but in unfamiliar ways which did not concern many Europeans. With little regard for the native people, Europe began conquering the eastern hemisphere in the name of colonization. Areas which had only known one race for centuries were flooded with people from all over the world seeking money and status. As the stakes grew, and select people and countries heavily prospered off their colonies, ethical and moral restraint declined. The result was a world filled 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.
... to a new level, by having the younger generation understand on what happened during that time period. This would be an excellent book for those who have an interest in politics. Something that made the book not interesting was the length of the book. There were too many pages that as a reader it will become boring or less entertaining. Lastly Pearlstein does not mention who the characters are, just stating their name in the book. To where the assuming the reader knows who these people are, when perhaps they don’t.
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 today. This also addresses contemporary debates on Puerto Rican identity. An example of this is evident in an essay written by Jose Luis Gonzales entitled "Puerto Rico : Th Four Storied Country". In the article Gonzales points out what he feels is a disregard toward the African contribution to the Puerto Rican identity. He argues that the first Puerto Ricans were black , based on his interpretation that Africans were the first group to come to Puerto Rico and reproduce who did not have ties to a "motherland" because they were slaves. This is unlike the Spaniard elites and Criolles that demonstrated their commitment and loyalty to Spain. Since they had no other place to go, Puerto Rico was their motherland. Gonzalez also points out that the culture of a region is always the culture of the elite, not the popular culture.
The features of the formation of the Puerto Rican people under Spanish rule are therefore critical in addressing questions on Puerto Rican identity. The migration of thousands of Spaniards both from the mainland and its islands to Puerto Rico, the development of subsequent Creole populations, the formation of the agricultural sectors and their labor needs are some of the contributing features that will hopefully lead toward a better understanding of the complexities that surround the concept of Puertoricaness.
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.
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 most of its history, Puerto Rico has been controlled by an outside power, and its people oppressed. While Puerto Rico is currently a U.S. territory, Spanish colonialism has had a significant impact on the island’s development and identity. The history of the island itself is proof of this fact, demonstrating each step Puerto Rico took to reach its current state. By examining the stages of Spanish control that Puerto Rico experienced, we can determine how each stage affected the structure and identity of Puerto Rico.
The Island political status has been an issue over many years since Spanish-American War. Puerto Rico is a Commonwealth “Free Associated State of P.R” of the US. In fact, Puerto Rico became a US territory in 1898, when it was earned from Spain after the Spanish-American War. It gave Puerto Ricans the right
Vasco da Gama was born into a family with a very high social status around 1469 in Sines, Portugal; however, very little is known about his early life and family. All that is known about Vasco’s family is the fact that he had four brothers, one sister, and that their father Estevao da Gama was the commander of a major fort in Sines. When Vasco da Gama came of age he joined the navy, where he would be taught how to navigate the navy’s ships. In 1492, King John II of Portugal sent Vasco da Gama at only the age of about 23 to south of Lisbon to seize the French ships as revenge to the French government for interfering with Portuguese shipping. By doing so, this would earn Vasco the reputation of being a fearless navigator and a ruthless sailor.
According to census research at Lehman College (1), during 1945 to the 1950’s more than half a million Puerto Rican natives migrated to several parts of the USA, originally from their own homeland, Puerto Rico. Several of the locations that Puerto Ricans migrated to include Chicago, New Jersey, Boston, Philadelphia, and New York City. One of the cities that experienced a large boom of Puerto Rican population was New York. This period was known as the “Great Migration” and had several factors that led to the mass migration. Some of these major events include the 1917 signing of the Jones-Shafroth Act by Woodrow Wilson, and the Great Depression. Afterwards, Puerto Ricans were permanent citizens of the US From these events. This still poses the questions as to why did a large portion of Puerto Ricans decide to migrate to the US, how did Puerto Ricans develop their identities in New York after the migration and what effect it had towards New York.
I believe children should be encouraged to learn, that as a teacher it is my job to help them find the way of learning that works best for them. I feel that students should be able to explore the world around them and learn from hands on activities. This type of learning style goes along with both Piaget and Vygotsky’s theories on learning. My theory leans more closely to Vygotsky’s theory due to the fact that I believe that the “play and exploration” should be structured and directed so that as a teacher I can help to guide the information that the students are learning. Such as in the case of the students exploring the playground outside, I feel that I should tell them what we are focusing on the insects that we can find in the playground. This directing helps to keep the students on topic and task while
The short story, “Roman Fever” illustrates the shocking relationship between two women, Mrs. Ansley and Mrs. Slade, by a chance meeting in Rome. As the story opens the two women are sitting on the terrace of a Roman restaurant that has an astonishing view of the Colosseum and other Roman ruins. While the women sit in silence and enjoy the tranquil view from the terrace they notice their daughters down below running off to spend a romantic evening with two young men. This triggers Mrs. Slades memories of her and Mrs. Ansley’s quixotic adventures in Rome as young adults and their first encounter with “Roman fever”. Wharton uses the term Roman fever to illustrative the women’s past relationship that is embedded with destruction, jealously and deceit. Both women live their life privately consumed with Roman fever for twenty-five years, once these secretes are reveled an ironic twist will still hold a plague on the lives of these women.
After the Spanish-American war, Spain granted the United States with full ownership of the island of Puerto Rico, which largely benefited the United States with profitable agricultural land, in the same way, Puerto Rican citizens were all benefited when they received U.S. citizenship, this granted them with greater opportunities that awaited them in the United States. However, despite their citizenship, Puerto Ricans are yet to have a vote in national U.S. elections. The ownership of the island has mostly benefited the United States as it is able to control the land, and impose tax and restrictions. Due to this, Puerto Rico transformed from a local economy, to one that is dominated by external U.S. companies. Because of many programs that have been implemented in order to stimulate economic development, the economy has progressed. However, one of the negative side effects left the population dealing with high income tax, as well as leading the economy further away from the local farmers and into the capitalist economy of the United States. It seems as if the relationship between the United States and Puerto Rico benefit the capitalist country and its economy but fails to befit much of the islands population as they are later faced with high income tax and high unemployment rates. Because of the high unemployment, the Puerto
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 and logical in the sense that Puerto Rico was invaded, ruled, and exploited by the Spaniards from 1508 until July 1898 when the Spanish flag was lowered and the United States began its invasion. With the exclusion of the aristocrats, who were either directly from Spain or criollos , there was complete oppression in Puerto Rico during the time it was a Spanish colony. The history of Puerto Rico under Spanish rule is useful in understanding the formation of Puerto Rican identity and in understanding some of the literature written by Puerto Ricans regarding issues of identity.
In “The Tell Tale Heart” Edgar Allan Poe builds up suspense by guiding us through the darkness that dwells inside his character’s heart and mind. Poe masterfully demonstrates the theme of guilt and its relationship to the narrator’s madness. In this classic gothic tale, guilt is not simply present in the insistently beating heart. It insinuates itself earlier in the story through the old man’s eye and slowly takes over the theme without remorse. Through his writing, Poe directly attributes the narrator’s guilt to his inability to admit his illness and offers his obsession with imaginary events - The eye’s ability to see inside his soul and the sound of a beating heart- as plausible causes for the madness that plagues him. After reading the story, the audience is left wondering whether the guilt created the madness, or vice versa.