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US Occupation of Puerto Rico
The effects of Spanish colonization on Puerto Rico
The effects of Spanish colonization on Puerto Rico
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A sugar plantation in Puerto Rico being harvested. The colonization of Puerto Rico by the Americans resulted to a decline in the economy; the presence of the American took every opportunity that the people of Puerto Rico had. In addition, colonization made Puerto Rico a foreign country; this made the import tax to increase rapidly. The Americans took the economy of that country from their hands and into their own; they controlled everything for the time that they colonized the country. In addition, all the farmers were forced to work for the Americans under severe conditions and less wages, thus declining the economy of Puerto Rico. Below is a picture of the people of Puerto Rico on the streets demonstrating on the declining economy under …show more content…
Previously a common state was considered a protected stated, but under the US, Puerto Rico enjoys all the benefits and rights of the US citizen except the right to elect a United States President while residing on the Island. He/she can only exercise such right if he/she is residing on the US mainland. Puerto Rica has no senator representing it in the Senate although it has one representative with no voting powers in the House. The citizens elect their local leaders except the governor who is appointed by the US President. However, Puerto Rico enjoys the shipment of aids to the Island from the Mainland of United States tax free. The citizens receive aids like any other citizen of the United States living on the Mainland such as welfare, Medicare, and any federal aid program. The difference, however, is that Puerto Ricans are not required to pay any federal taxes to receive these benefits unlike people living on the Mainland who must have to pay certain federal taxes although they do pay into the social security and Medicare. In the years 1967, 1993, and 1998, Puerto Ricans voted to retain their status of being a commonwealth rather than becoming a state or independent. However, on November 8, 2012, Puerto Ricans voted for the first time with total votes of 54% in a non-binding referendum to support US statehood. However, any attempt on the part of Puerto Rico to become independent or state
Many politicians have different views on what Puerto Rico should do. Some think that we should become independent, some thing the island should stay the same, but some think Puerto Rico should just become independent. Either way it would benefit Puerto Rico.
The first instance of colonialism forced upon the inhabitants of the Dominican Republic was the “discovery” by Christopher Columbus on October 12, 1492. Ernesto Sagas and Orlando Inoa presented the interaction in their book The Dominican People: A Documentary History. The confrontation between these two diametrically opposed cultures proved to be “far from equal; the Amerindians’ Stone Age culture was no match for European military technology. The initial encounter took place on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, part of which is now the Dominican Republic” (Inoa pg. 1). This was the first step in a trek through five and a half centuries of Dominican Republic history, and unfortunately much of it was filled with the horror of colonialism. In fact, the Dominican Republic became the “hub” for the colonization of the America’s, and acted as the stepping-stone for European colonizers into a vast, never before exploited goldmine for both natural and human resources. As Sagas and Inoa discuss, the island of Hispaniola, "became the center of the Spanish colonial enterprise in the New World. It was in Hispaniola where the first major contacts between Europeans and Amerindians took place, where the first exploitative economic activities in the New World were developed, where Europeans first established permanent settlements and colonial institutions, and where the stage was set for the colonization of the rest of the New World (Inoa pg. 1.)." Thus the groundwork was established for colonialism not only for the Dominican Republic, but for the entire hemisphere. According to Sagas and Inoa, colonization was inevitable because interaction with Europeans was predictable. They wrote, “[i]f Christopher Columbus had...
The economies of Cuba and Puerto Rico are very similar during the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. As Spain colonized these two islands in the 16th century under the idea that gold was abundant. Thus in turn the islands became a safe port for Spain and her vessels. It also set out to be a huge migration from the Spain to the islands, because everyone was set to search for gold. . This turned out to be short lived as the mining of gold peaked in 1517 till 1819. By Spain using Cuba and Puerto Rico for mining gold they needed slave laborers as the local Indians. The Indians soon became unsatisfied with their new conditions of living, they became hostile and many not able to cope with being slaves committed suicide and genocide. By 1540 – 1550 silver was discovered in Mexico and Peru. As Spain found its’ new source of income in Mexico and Peru, it left Cuba and Puerto Rico to literally fend for themselves. By the 1590’s their economy began to prosper by cattle breeding and farming as this lead to new jobs on the islands. This new slow and uneven growth led supplies to be more expensive.
The island’s "commonwealth" status allows for Puerto Rico to be assisted by the U.S. in the attempt for economic transformation and industrialization. However the status also allows the U.S. to reap the benefits for the success of the massive amounts of investment that Puerto Rico has attracted.
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
To think that the Yankees are going to give us all their freedoms and all their progress for our pretty face is to think blindfolded. We could indeed have an unheard-of-manufacturing and business activity; but all this would be in their hands, monopolized, and exploited by them.” (Puerto Rico::The Flame of Resistance, 34). This statement from a Puerto Rican journalist emphasizes why she believes that Puerto Rico should not be controlled by America. This is a popular belief in Puerto Rico and America because of reasons regarding culture, independence, and the economy. It would not be beneficial to Puerto Ricans or Americans if Puerto Rico was made a state.
On July 25, 1898, American troops led by General Nelson Miles landed at Guanica and began the military invasion of Puerto Rico. Within three days, Miles and his troops secured the city of Ponce and rendered a Spanish surrender a matter of time. Although the Island was taken by force and placed under martial law, the general reaction to the United States invasion was very much positive. In fact, the Puerto Rican people admired U.S. political and economic ideals so much that one local newspaper told it's readers, “from a people who are descendants of Washington, no one should expect a sad surprise ... we trust, with full confidence in the great Republic and the men who govern her.” [1] Unfortunately that confidence was short lived, as the realities of American political and economic agendas set in and led Puerto Rico to be “stranded in a sea of ambiguity, racism, audacity and indifference.” [2] U.S. occupation of Puerto Rico was marked by severe contradictions of so-called `American' ideals pertaining to new and established policies that were extended to Puerto Rico and these contradictions have had profound and long-lasting effects on the development of the island politically, economically and socially.
The inland has forgotten about the people struggling in Puerto Rico. These people are fighting for themselves, while the government worries about a government shutdown. Citizens only cared about Puerto
In this excerpt from The Colonizer and the Colonized, Albert Memmi claims that the power established by a colonizer is doubly illegitimate and is maintained at the detriment of the natives. Memmi argues that the colonizer has not obtained his power “by virtue of local laws… but by upsetting the established rule and substituting his own.” This is the first layer of illegitimacy. The second layer of illegitimacy is that the usurper is conscious of their own invalid power. Memmi also argues that the colonizer’s illegitimate power can only be retained through the exploitation of the colonized people as the colonizer must always be the most privileged in the land despite other natives being more powerful by the original local law. Memmi’s contentions
For the last extra credit opportunity, I attended the lecture titled, “What is Puerto Rico?” It was an interesting lecture, ran by Gerardo Herrero. He was a very interesting lecturer who kept your attention and was very animated in his delivery. There are two criticisms I have of this lecture, and the first one being the technical difficulties that stalled the lecture. He attempted to have an interactive poll-type thing where people would access an app on their phones and give their input. However, this proved to have numerous problems throughout the lecture. The second criticism I had was that he talked a lot about debt; he also used terms that I didn’t completely understand.
The Latin American revolution era was to end the colonial rule by Spain and Portugal over Mexico,
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 discrimination in many walks of life in the USA. They were taken advantage of because they were naive and vulnerable to this new life. Eventually, in the twentieth century, the Puerto Ricans realized that they could stand up for themselves and what started out as class politics ended up giving rise to ethnic politics.
claiming land for Spain under the rule of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. In the year that it was
Scholars have debated not only the nature of Iberian colonialism, but also the impact that independence had on the people of Latin America. Historian Jaime E. Rodriguez said that, “The emancipation of [Latin America] did not merely consist of separation from the mother country, as in the case of the United States. It also destroyed a vast and responsive social, political, and economic system that functioned well despite many imperfections.” I believe that when independence emerged in Latin America, it was a positive force. However, as time progressed, it indeed does cause conflict.
Puerto Rico’s population is over three and one half million. Over four and one half million Puerto Ricans live on the United States mainland. The air bridge for Puerto Ricans connects the Island and the Mainland.